


A year in Ered Luin or: Puppy Shenanigans

by Saetha



Category: The Hobbit - All Media Types
Genre: (by which I mean Vili and and other minor characters), Angst, Baby Fíli, Celebrations, Courtship, Cuddles, Durin's Day, Dwalin whump, Dworin Week, Ered Luin, Genderfluid Character, M/M, Nonbinary Dwarves, Other, Puppies, Slice of Life, Summer Fest, Thorin whump, Víli - Freeform, YES THERE IS A PUPPY THAT IS ALL YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT THIS, a little violent porn to be exact, ear clasps, now with porn!, others are mentioned - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-06-28
Updated: 2015-07-05
Packaged: 2018-04-06 16:53:04
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 8
Words: 33,449
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4229523
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Saetha/pseuds/Saetha
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A lot happens in the dwarves' lives during one year in Ered Luin. After all, life has a lot to offer and now that the settlement is finally prospering again, it is easier for many of its inhabitants to find their own happiness. This is a collection of loosely connected stories for Dworin Week 2015 on Tumblr - ranging from happy to sad, from funny to angsty and hopefully encompassing pretty much everything that can happen in the everyday lives of our beloved dwarrows.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Welcome [Prompt: Seasons]

**Author's Note:**

> Welcome to my contribution to this year's Dworin Week, everyone! I can't wait to share these stories with you - for some reason they turned out quite happy overall. For this year, I decided to write seven loosely connected fics to make it more interesting. They are set in what's probably one of the happiest periods of Thorin's & Dwalin's life - the time in Ered Luin when everything was prospering and Dís was happily married. Víli, her partner, is genderfluid in this version by the way, because I really love the notion of genderfluid dwarves :).
> 
> The first story is basically the fruit of one simple thought - _what would happen if Dwalin found a puppy?_ Read and see.

The preparations had been running for weeks. Summer Fest was, next to Durin's Day, one of the most anticipated holidays for all dwarrows throughout Middle-earth - three days of feasting, song and merriment. They had lived in Ered Luin for several decades now and although never forgotten, the days of hardship of their early years had slowly faded in most people's minds. Indeed, when Dwalin looked around he mostly saw happy faces - the wooden buildings from their early days had given way to stonen halls and their population had grown steadily over the recent decades. Many dwarrows had founded families here and their children were born untainted by the memories of the mountain's fall to the dragon's wrath.

Dwalin smiled when he thought of how especially Dís had managed to find her luck. Ever since her marriage and the announcement that she was carrying her first child not only she, but everyone else around her seemed to have blossomed. There was new hope for the Line of Durin and somehow, it also meant new hope for all of them. Smiling was coming much more easily to Thorin these days and finally all their hard work seemed to be bearing fruit. Thorin still pushed himself more than was good for him at times for the sake of his family, but he did so without the scowl on his face that had marked their early years in Ered Luin. Dwalin found that the same was true for himself as well - jests came over his lips much more easily now, as did laughter and singing. And now that Summer Fest was around the corner there would be plenty to have had of all of it.

There was a lot to do on the day before the celebrations would start and the town was already bustling with activity shortly after sunrise. Thorin had disappeared into the forge first thing in the morning to finish a commission for a trader who would come by after the end of the Summer Fest, knowing that he wouldn't get any work done during the celebrations. Since her pregnancy had progressed Dís had recently taken to doing the smaller tasks in the forge like sharpening or the finer engravings although she constantly berated her brother for his worried questioning whether she should be doing any work at all. If Dwalin was asked he'd say that Dís was for more relaxed about her pregnancy than both her brother - or her partner Víli for that matter who would be doing a last full day's worth of work with the miners on securing some tunnels today.

Dwalin stepped into the open doorway of the forge where Thorin was working on what would hopefully be a set of knives at the end of the day. He knocked on the doorframe to get his One's attention. Thorin looked up and gave him a quick smile before finishing up his work on the piece of metal in his hands as long as it was still hot enough. Only then did he put down his tools to step towards Dwalin.

"I'm going out into the forest to help the others with the firewood." Dwalin announced. "You don't need my help with anything in the forge today?"

"No, it's fine." Thorin replied. "Dís and me can finish everything that needs to be done today. And the ones going out for firewood could use an additional guardsman."

"Yeah, probably." So far they only had Oda and young Vári and although all dwarrows knew how to use their weapons it was always good to have a few trained warriors with them in the unlikely case that they would be attacked. "I should be back a while before the sun goes down. I told Balin earlier that I was going, too, but he might not have heard me. He seemed pretty busy with drawing up that one trade agreement for the eastern traders who're coming through twice a year. If he asks for me, could you tell him again?"

"Of course." They shared a quick smile, knowing how deeply Dwalin's brother could sometimes get engrossed in his work. Then Thorin leaned forwards until their foreheads met, closing his eyes for a moment before smiling at him again. "Stay safe."

"Mhm." Dwalin hummed his agreement. "You too. Don't drop a hot knife on your arm again."

It was an old ritual between them, whether they were leaving for a few hours only or several months - to remind each other to be careful and stay safe. Life had taught them more than once that death or severe injury didn't always announce themselves beforehand.

Thorin grinned at him.

"I'll do my best. As long as you don't walk into another tree."

"I've never walked into a tree." Dwalin said indignantly and Thorin's grin widened.

"You have. You were just too drunk to remember. But _I_ do and Dís does, too."

"Pah." Dwalin's grin mirrored Thorin's own as he punched him lightly in the ribs, evading Thorin's answering fist into his stomach. He turned around laughing, the image of Thorin's wide smile burned into his mind and lightening his steps.

They had been more than lucky with the weather - after the constant rainfall of the past five days the sky had cleared up and promised a brilliantly sunny day. The good weather would hopefully last for the duration of the fest. Much of the singing and dancing was traditionally done outside and even though the mood was seldomly seriously hampered by rainfall, it still made for a much nicer atmosphere in the sunshine. Dwalin hoped they would be able to find at least some wood that wasn't soaking wet, maybe even a few old dead trees that they could bring down and turn into firewood.

There were ten of them who were leaving their settlement and set out with two wagons drawn by their trusty ponies for transporting the wood they would hopefully be able to collect. Bombur had supplied them with lunch packs for their small trip and the spirits were high and hopeful, jests and laughter flying through the air as well as the occasional song. Sometimes Dwalin missed the comforts of the mountain that he could still remember, the steam-powered system of small trains and lifts connecting every part of it, the hot baths, the wide markets. On days like today, however, he enjoyed what they had managed to regain.

Work throughout the day went well - they found several dead trees that would yield enough firewood for the three traditional bonfires of Summer Fest and much time was spent bringing them down with their tools and breaking them down into manageable bits before lunch. Afterwards Dwalin suggested to scout their perimeter for more dead trees and bring back any single dry branches they might be able to find. They left Oda and Vári to bring back the wood they had cut down already and return with the empty wagons. The rest of them headed off into different directions on their search, each one on their own.

Dwalin had just found another large branch to add to the growing bundle on his arm when he heard a noise. It was a quiet whining, so high-pitched that he barely noticed it at first, coming from behind a large group of bushes next to him. He frowned and put a hand on the little knife in his belt although something told him that he probably wouldn't need it. Depositing the stack of wood in his arm at the foot of the next tree he quietly advanced around the bushes, being careful not to make too much noise.

The small wolf puppy was almost invisible with its grey-brown fur amongst all the leaves and branches on the ground. It sat on its hind legs, going quiet immediately as soon as it saw Dwalin. It seemed on the verge to flee, but fear warred with curiosity and it cocked its head, the gaze from its dark eyes constantly following Dwalin. He put his knife back into his belt almost immediately and hunched down to appear less threatening. The puppy flinched slightly at his sudden movement but still stayed where it was.

"You're a brave little one, aren't you?" Dwalin murmured in what he hoped was a soothing voice. "Where's the rest of your pack?"

The small wolf didn't move, but whined quietly as if it had understood what Dwalin had just said.

"Are you hungry?"

With slow movements so that he wouldn't scare the little pup any further, Dwalin rummaged in one of his belt pouches. After a moment he came up with a strip of dried venison, carefully holding it out in the puppy's direction. The wolf sniffed the air and then started to come closer in small, tottering steps that belied how young and scared it really was. Dwalin hoped it would be able to stomach firm food and resisted the urge to stand up and look around, worried that its pack would find them and ferociously defend its youngster from any danger, imagined or otherwise.

It took the small animal a while to bring up enough courage to come close enough to bite into the meat and as soon as it had gotten hold of it with its teeth it ran backwards again, almost ripping the strip out of Dwalin's hand and stumbling over its own legs. With a quiet chuckle he let it go, watching as the puppy devoured its meal with just as much vigour as Dwalin had ever seen in a little dwarfling. As soon as it was done it looked at him expectantly, as if it was asking where the rest of the food was. When Dwalin only opened his empty hands in what he hoped would convey that he didn’t have anything else, the puppy took a few unsure steps in his direction.

Encouraged by the fact that he didn’t seem to attack, it took another few until it stood directly in front of Dwalin, obviously ready to flee at any moment, but also able to smell the scent of more meat in his pouch. Dwalin grinned as it whined once more and tried to bite through the thick leather.

“There, there.” He said soothingly and, with a slow movement that nonetheless made the puppy jump back, pulled out another strip. “Looks like you’re starving. Did something happen to your pack?”

The puppy only flicked its ear and continued to eat. Dwalin noticed that despite the whining noise it had been making, there hadn’t been any sign of other wolves and he couldn’t remember having come across any either. Strange.

“Alright, little one, I should get going. I’m sure your pack will find you soon.”

The little wolf jumped back when Dwalin stood up, but as soon as he started to walk away it whined quietly and began to follow him.

“Nono, you need to stay.” The pup didn’t seem to understand what Dwalin was saying, for every time that he began moving again, it continued following him. Even when he gave it his last bit of dried meat, it took it between its teeth and carried it instead of staying and eating as Dwalin had hoped it would do.

He firmly told himself he would _absolutely not_ look back or even go back and pick up the puppy when he increased his walking speed. Dwalin managed to hold firmly to his resolution for only a few moments before he heard the high-pitched whining again that had alerted him in the first place. The sound now slowly turned into something that was closer to crying than whining and he felt his heart give in. Thorin would have called him a sappy old dwarf for what he was about to do.

“What in Durin’s name am I even doing…” he mumbled as he walked back to where the puppy was sitting not too far away from him. It stopped its crying the moment it saw him come back, tail moving slowly from side to side as he hunkered down again. The pup didn’t resist when he started patting it and finally picked it up at the scruff of its neck. “Thorin is going to _kill_ me.”

The small wolf in his hands sneezed.

Dwalin dropped it into the front opening of his tunic where the puppy immediately rolled up into a little ball of fur between his chest hair and the fabric and began to sleep. Whatever had happened, it had apparently been an exhausting day for it. He asked the others upon his return if they had heard or seen anything of wolves in the area, but only received a few head shakes in response. Not wanting to wake the puppy Dwalin decided to keep quiet about it for now- thankfully his clothes where wide enough to keep the little one hidden. He would need all his nerves to deal with Thorin's response, anyway.

They returned to the settlement a little later than they had planned and most of the dwarrows came to help them with unloading the wood they had gathered for the start of the festivities the next day. The puppy was awake and wriggling by the end of it and Dwalin received more than one glance at his tunic where there was a constantly moving bump over his chest now. The comments he received when he told them about his newest protégé ranged from incredulity to instant cooing over the fluffy little animal - and more than one raised eyebrow.

Dwalin finally decided that he wouldn't be able to prolong the time until he had to show Thorin for much longer. He hoped his partner was finished with his smithing by now and wouldn't drop his hammer on his toes in astonishment. The Maker was apparently smiling down on him that day - Thorin was just taking off his heavy leather apron and Dís finishing up the engraving on one of her last commissions when he knocked on the frame of the open door to signal that he was back.

"Dwalin!" Dís looked up at him and smiled whilst Thorin was walking towards him, an expression of relief and slight exhaustion after the long day on his face. That changed, however, as he caught sight of the moving bulge that was wriggling around somewhere around Dwalin's right collarbone by now.

"Dwalin, by Durins's axe, _what is that_?" Thorin's voice was as incredulous as his facial expression and Dwalin was close to breaking out into haltless laughter. Dís had put down her tools and was watching with an amused grin on her face.

He lifted his tunic slightly to get a better grasp on the puppy and was rewarded for it with a set of tiny wolf teeth clamping themselves around his finger. Pulling out the little wolf he proudly presented it to his One, wishing desperately someone were there to ban Thorin's expression on paper so he would be able to look at it for all eternity.

"It's a puppy."

"I can _see_ that."

"It's cute."

"I can see that, too."

There was a sound from the corner of the room as if someone was choking to death and Dwalin looked over to see Dís burying her face in her arms and shaking with laughter. In the mean time the puppy had let go of Dwalin’s finger and was wriggling around in his arms, clearly both excited and intimidated by the smells and sights of the its new surroundings.

“I found it out in the forest. I think it might have gotten lost or the rest of its pack met with some kind of misfortune. It followed me so I…” Thorin’s eyebrow were almost disappearing into his hairline at Dwalin’s words. Dwalin scowled at both him and Dís, who was still wheezing in the corner. “I couldn’t just leave it!”

“But why did you bring it back _here_? Couldn’t anyone else have taken care of it?”

“It followed _me_.” Dwalin felt slightly insulted. He knew Thorin wasn’t a great fan of pets of all kinds (he had never shared his cousin Dáin’s wild love for his family’s boars) but surely, even he couldn’t be able to resist the charms of a small puppy so completely. “How could I just have abandoned it?!”

The puppy responded by peeing on his arm.

Dís had tears running from her eyes with laughter and Thorin’s face was caught somewhere between horror and amusement.

“Uhm.” Dwalin suddenly felt slightly sheepish and overwhelmed by the situation. With a firm grip he caught the little wolf by the scruff of its neck again and held it out towards Thorin. “Can you take it for a moment?”

His partner looked at him as if he’d just asked him to take off his clothes and dance naked around the Summer Fest pyres.

“Absolutely not.” he stated, already backing off.

“Absolutely _yes_.” Dwalin insisted, following him. “Come on, it’s only for a short moment whilst I get changed. It’s a very nice puppy. Right, puppy?”

The little wolf growled slightly in Thorin’s direction and started wriggling more strongly. Evidently it wanted to run around and play instead of just being held up all the time. Dwalin sighed and set it down on the wooden floor of the smithy.

“Watch it.” he told Thorin. Before his flabbergasted partner was able to say anything else, Dwalin had left him alone and was walking towards their joint houses.

When he returned after a quick wash and change of clothes he stopped dead in his tracks at the doorway to the forge, unable to take in what he was seeing for a moment. Thorin was on his knees, pulling at the end of a dirt rag such as he often used to wipe down the surfaces in the forge with. On the other end was the puppy, growling ferociously through a mouth full of cloth and trying to dig its claws into the floor as it pulled in the opposite direction from Thorin. Tiny as the little wolf was, Thorin could have probably pulled it close in a heartbeat, but he seemingly resisted the urge to do so, just tugging at the cloth again and again so the pup slid towards him for a bit before he let loose and it jumped back with another growl from the bottom of its throat.

Dís had returned to finishing up her work, but she was grinning and occasionally laughing quietly to herself as she watched her brother making a fool of himself by wrestling with a little puppy. Dwalin admitted that it was a fascinating sight and so he waited with announcing his presence until Thorin looked up from his little mock fight with the pup.

“It wanted to steal my cloth.” Thorin complained. Dwalin almost expected him to pout, but he could see the spark of mischief in Thorin’s eyes behind the displeased façade.

“Doesn’t seem like it was too much trouble for you to persuade it not to.” Dwalin grinned and hunkered down next to him, rummaging in his pocket for the sausage he had nicked form their pantry a moment ago and his belt knife to cut it into smaller pieces.

“You should have heard him.” The laughter in Dís’ voice was unmistakeable as she started imitating her older brother. “’Help, sister, it’s eating my forge!’”

Dwalin laughed whilst Thorin looked as if the puppy had chewed up his favourite tunic instead of just a rag. However, he didn’t dispute Dís’ words, making Dwalin grin even more widely. As soon as the puppy caught sight of the sausage he was currently slicing between his fingers it changed direction. Not letting go of the cloth in its mouth it now charged towards Dwalin. Thorin laughed quietly when its little legs became entangled in the cloth, causing it to stumble and fall several times on its way.

“It’s got far too much energy.” Thorin mused. “Like the dwarf who brought it home.”

Dwalin didn’t even glance up at him from where he was feeding the happy puppy little bits of sausage that it was devouring with great vigour. Instead he just threw a casual punch in Thorin’s direction that connected with his upper arm.

“It’s a puppy, Thorin. They are _supposed_ to be so energetic.” The pup seemed to agree with Dwalin, for it wagged its tail and did a surprisingly acrobatic jump to get to the last bit of sausage between Dwalin’s fingers.

“So what are we going to do with it? Have you found someone to take it in?”

Dwalin cocked his eyebrows at Thorin.

“It stays with us, obviously.”

“No.”

“Yes.”

Thorin scowled at him. He wasn’t angry, not truly (Dwalin knew his anger and it looked far more intimidating than this), but he still seemed to be annoyed.

“I can’t take it during the day, you know that. It would only cause chaos in the forge, not even to mention the council meetings. And with Dís and Víli’s little one on the way I doubt they’d have time to care for it either.”

“I’m right here, Thorin, you know.” Dís noted, giving the work in her hands a satisfied glance before she put her tools down. “And I’m sure I won’t mind minding the little one when Dwalin isn’t out on patrol where I suppose he’ll be taking it with him.”

Thorin looked utterly defeated and Dwalin could feel a smug grin creeping on his own face, one that even another dark glance of Thorin’s in his direction couldn’t truly wipe off.

“So what do we call it?” he asked.

“You found it, you name it.” Thorin threw back.

“Her, I think.” Dwalin said as he lifted the puppy off the ground to check. “At least until she decides otherwise. Uhm.”

He had never exactly been great with names.

“Puppy?” he asked and at least the little wolf seemed to be happy with the rather unimaginative name. Thorin just rolled his eyes, but didn’t suggest a better one either. Dwalin had to bite back a smile at his expression.

“I’m so glad that you two will have no say in naming our child.” Dís murmured from her corner and Thorin threw the chewed-on rag at her.

“I’ve had it with you two.” he announced as he stood up, as if he was talking to two particularly bad-tempered and petulant children. “I’m going to see if Balin needs any help with dinner.”

"Coward!" Dwalin called after him and just about evaded the boot flying in his direction. Dís kept bubbling with laughter long after her brother had left the forges, shaking her head as she cleaned up her workstation and carefully packed the completed order away. Dwalin was busy keeping the puppy entertained, thinking privately to himself that the first thing he would have to teach it was to stay clean and only do its personal affairs outside.

"I can't believe you picked her up and brought her home." Dwalin looked up and saw Dís standing next to him, hands pressed into her back to provide some counterweight to her large belly. She smiled at him and he grinned back, stroking Puppy's head with his thumb.

"She's even more convincing than Thorin when she wants something from me." He laughed as the puppy began to start snapping at his finger, running in circles trying to catch his hand as he kept mocking her by moving it around. Dís rolled her eyes in an expression eerily similar to her brother's, but laughed too, walking past him and throwing a glance outside.

"It's gotten rather late." she observed with a nod at the slowly reddening sky. "Let's follow Thorin inside and see what your brother has come up with for dinner tonight. I can't wait to hear what _he's_ going to say about our newest family member. Víli should be back soon, too."

Dís' partner in marriage was one of the architects of the settlement - they mostly oversaw the construction and security of the mines, but also that of the other buildings in their small village. They had worked as a miner, originally, until an accident leading to a bad leg had forced them to stop the hard physical work and concentrate on something related to mining instead. Víli had soon discovered their affinity for maths and construction drawings, a craft that only few dwarves chose throughout their life even though their services were highly valued. When Dís and Dwalin stepped into their house they found Víli already there, taking their boots off and grinning as soon as they caught sight of Dís.

Víli would have lifted her off her feet hadn't she been a good bit taller than them, so instead they just wrapped their arms around her and drew her forwards into a passionate kiss that made Dwalin both laugh and roll his eyes. In Erebor such a thing would have been unthinkable and even now the Longbeards were usually a lot more reserved. Had he and Thorin ever been that young? The puppy in his pocket made excited noises and started wriggling as soon as she picked up the scent of food and new people.

"Dwalin!" Víli had finished greeting their wife and was now grinning at him, unfazed by the size difference between the two of them as they drew him into a hug. Puppy gave a protesting squeak as she got caught between them and Víli bent down to examine the little newcomer to their family. Their delight mirrored that of their wife and Dwalin grinned when Puppy began to rub her head on Víli's hand in obvious affection although they didn't seem to be able to stop laughing once Dwalin told them about the puppy's name.

Balin seemed less enthusiastic, especially when Puppy immediately tried to steal the meat off their table during dinner - but Dwalin promised his brother to teach the puppy some manners and not even Balin was able to escape the charm of the little wolf.

Dwalin looked around the table after they had finished eating and smiled at what he saw: Dís, carrying inside her the future of their line and laughing more freely and happily than he had ever seen her; Balin who was just smiling to himself as he looked around and gave Thorin a report of what he had been doing that day; Víli who was unable to take their eyes of their beautiful wife and whose gaze sparkled with pride and love whenever they looked at her; Thorin who seemed so relaxed and, for once, truly happy; and Puppy, curled up on his own lap now and fast asleep after she'd eaten some more and done her business when he had taken her outside earlier. It was truly a perfect picture and he couldn't wait to see the happiness extend to Summer Fest the next day and the months beyond.


	2. Celebrate [Prompt: Music]

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Summer Fest! Celebrations, music, dance, happiness! I had great fun making up some dwarven traditions with this one. Also featuring: a harp and Puppy being, well...a puppy.

Summer Fest came and it was as grand and joyous a celebration as ever. A special and one of the most sacred traditions of the Fest was the its colouring - for the duration of the next three days dwarrows would choose their most colourful garments and jewels, weave coloured cloths into their hair, paint on their skin and frequently even dye their hair and beards. Everyone who was wearing less than three different colours was usually frowned upon. This one morning, getting up early posed no problem to any of them. Thorin took it upon himself to dye Dwalin's beard blue and Dwalin added some red strands to the lower half of Thorin's hair, grinning when his One admired his handiwork in their looking glass.

"Where's my tunic?" Thorin frowned, turning and looking all around himself in search for the missing garment. "I swear I put it on this chair last night."

"Which one?" Dwalin called over from the other end of the room. He was rummaging in his large clothing chest himself, looking for the one shirt he always wore for Summer Fest only. It was Dori's handiwork and featured several tiny ribbons in yellow.

"The bright blue one with the green and yellow trimmings." Thorin's voice made it clear that he was growing increasingly irritated.

"No clue."

"I'm sure I- **_PUPPY_**!" Dwalin looked up at Thorin's angry shout - and almost laughed at the comical sight in front of his eyes.

Thorin was holding the little wolf up by the scruff of her neck. Puppy seemed completely unapologetic, however, still looking slightly sleepy, tangled in Thorin's tunic as she was. She had obviously left the little basket Dwalin had put down for her to sleep in for the night and chosen to huddle in Thorin’s tunic instead. From the bit that was still dangling from her mouth Dwalin guessed that she had also been chewing on the garment. Thorin's expression was thunderous when he turned around to his partner.

"I thought you said you'd take care of her." he remarked angrily. Dwalin noticed that the movement with which he put the puppy down and untangled the tunic from her claws and teeth, however, was still gentle.

"I _did_." Dwalin defended himself. "I put her into the small basket with an old blanket before we went to sleep. It seems like she just likes your tunic more."

"How did she even get _in_?" Thorin wondered. "And, more importantly, what am I going to wear now?"

Dwalin grinned when he heard his words. They reminded him of the time in Erebor before the dragon came - Thorin had always put quite some thought into his wardrobe once he was past his childhood years, saying that looking like the heir to the kingdom was helping him to act like one. More than once Dwalin had been annoyed at how long he sometimes took to pick out what he was going to wear. It had all changed with Smaug and in the years afterwards when many other things such as naked survival had become far more important. More than once Thorin had just thrown on some used garment or other when getting up without paying any real attention to what it was or the state it was in. Somehow, hearing his words this morning made Dwalin feel like a tiny piece of the old Thorin from the past was back again.

"Try the blue one with the red and silver?" he suggested.

"I'm not sure I actually mended it after last time..." Thorin murmured and Dwalin grinned. Right, he'd forgotten how the third day of the last Summer Fest had ended. They had both been a little too eager in removing each other's clothing.

When Dís called up to them why on earth they were taking so long Thorin simply threw on the first colourful tunic he could find, much to Dwalin's amusement. Víli and Dís were already dressed, their hair and beards braided with colourful ribbons dyed in matching colours. Dwalin tried to wrap a ribbon around Puppy's neck, too, but the little wolf shook herself and scratched violently to take it off, so he quickly thought better of it. She was happily tottering behind them as they exited the house, now much more steady on her feet than the day before after a good night's rest with a full belly.

It was Thorin's duty to officially open the festivities and he did so with a bright smile on his face, to the thunderous applause of the people around him and the stamping of their feet on the ground. The first day would consist of various physical contests, from archery to weight-lifting to wrestling. The second day would see the contests for the other crafts, ranging from singing and poetry to baking, all concluded with the largest and grandest feast imaginable. The third day was there purely to celebrate - the dancing and feasting would start around noon time and then carry on until very late into the night, the large fires for the longest day of the year being lit as soon as the evening approached.

Puppy seemingly wanted to be everywhere at once. She always tried to stay close to Dwalin although he picked her up when the crowd grew too dense for fear she might get trampled. He was glad the she didn't seem to be shy about meeting new people and although keeping pets was rather unusual amongst dwarrows, Puppy had soon bewitched almost the entire settlement. One who was especially taken with her was Bifur - he quickly discovered that he needed no language to communicate with her and that she would react to his touch even more strongly than to a word. More than once Dwalin thought that Puppy had gotten lost only to discover her in a corner together with Bifur who held her on his lap and was gently stroking her fur. She had the ability calm him down when he felt cornered amongst so many people or didn't feel he had the ability to communicate properly with anyone and Dwalin was more than happy to see it, as were Bifur's brothers. Bombur fed Puppy little scraps of meat whenever he saw her and quickly became one of Puppy's favourite dwarves by doing so.

Even Thorin seemed to be slowly warming up to the small wolf and although Puppy was never as devoted to him as much as she was to Dwalin, who she followed wherever he went most of the time, she quickly became accustomed to Thorin’s care. If anyone found it odd that their king was sometimes seen carrying a wolf pup on his arm, they were wise enough to remain quiet under the drilling stare of Thorin’s eyes, daring them to say a single word against it.

The first two days passed like in a daze. The weather held what it had promised and it was sunny and warm, but not too hot, the perfect conditions for the competitions. The mood amongst the dwarrows was full of merriment and happiness, the cheering for the competitors as loud as ever and the songs during the dinners in the evening almost deafening. Bofur had seemingly composed several new songs for this year’s Fest and was celebrated for them, even though more than one mug of ale turned into broken shards on the ground from his wild dancing on the tables. Dís and Víli, not to be outdone, had also composed a duet – Dís on the violin (which, Dwalin was sure, she would one day teach at least one of her children) and her partner on the accordion. Even Dwalin got out his fiddle and joined in with the dancing and the screeching of the various instruments.

“You should play too.” Dwalin grinned at Thorin on the evening of the second day as he plopped down on the bench next to him, breathless from the round of dancing and playing he had just done. Thorin smiled and shook his head.

“I’ll leave that to you and the others.” he replied. “I don’t think a harp is exactly the best instrument to play during a celebration such as this one.”

“Nonsense.” Dwalin snorted. “You’re doing your abilities injustice. Everybody’d enjoy it, trust me.”

“Maybe tomorrow.” Thorin’s smile told Dwalin that it would be fruitless to push the issue any further.

It was one of the things that still saddened Dwalin occasionally – Thorin only rarely played his harp now and most of those times it was amongst their families and closest friends only. The only official event where he played regularly was the anniversary of Azanulbizar – and Dwalin knew that those songs in particular were mostly for Frerin and in honour of all the others who had fallen. However, he supposed that he himself hadn’t been too different – it had taken him almost a decade to pick up the fiddle again after Azanulbizar and he had only done so after Thorin’s gentle but insistent prodding. He just hoped that his own way of coaxing his partner into playing more openly again would bear fruit one day.

“Where’s Puppy?” Thorin’s words ripped Dwalin out of his musings.

“She was with Dís earlier.” he answered distractedly as he tried to simultaneously quench his thirst with more ale and steal some of the small dough balls that were his favourite from Thorin’s plate.

“Oy.” Thorin slapped his hand as it hovered over his plate and Dwalin grinned, withdrawing quickly, but not without having snatched three of the precious treats. His One rolled his eyes, quickly changing the topic back to Puppy. “I don’t think she’s there anymore.”

He gestured to his sister and her partner who were currently dancing arm in arm between the tables and apparently lost to everything that wasn’t them. Dwalin frowned, his quick gaze around him giving him no clue as to where the little animal might be, Bifur having gone home already. He groaned; the last thing he needed right now was Puppy getting lost once more.

“You should go and search for her.” Thorin remarked with undisguised glee. “After all, you were the one who assured me you could take care her of her.”

“Oh shut up.” Dwalin growled, punching Thorin’s shoulder gently in response to his grin. “As if you wouldn’t be sad if something happened to her.”

“Of course I would be.” Thorin retorted, still grinning. “But she’s _your_ responsibility after all, isn’t she?”

Dwalin only groaned once more in response and got up from his seat at the table. It seemed useless to call out for her – the level of noise was too high and his voice would likely just get lost amongst all the music, singing and conversation. He somehow felt reluctant to ask others, too, since he could well do without their comments about how he didn’t seem to be able to keep an eye on one single puppy. There was only one way left, really: doing a systematic search of the entire area, hoping that she hadn’t run away.

“Looking for Puppy?” Bofur grinned widely in his direction and Dwalin sighed inwardly. So much for keeping it secret that he had lost her.

“Yeah.” he admitted unwillingly and Bofur chuckled in response.

“Last time I saw her she was running towards the end of the table with the most food left on it. You might wanna make sure that she doesn’t eat anything that could harm her.”

“Thanks.” Dwalin was already on his way to the table that Bofur had indicated. There was indeed a lot of food left at this end, not only meat and bread but also some of the traditional Summer Fest sweets made with lots of sugar that were always so popular on these evenings.

“Puppy?” he asked as loudly as he dared and hunkered down to be able to look underneath the table. At least there weren’t any other dwarrows sitting around here.

A quiet whine was the reply, reminding Dwalin of the time he had first found her. Something moved in the darkness beneath one of the benches and Dwalin kneeled down on the ground so he could shuffle forwards without banging his head on the underside of the table.

“Puppy, come here, I’m not angry.” The pup whined again at his words and Dwalin felt quiet worry spread inside him. He held out a hand and, at the same time, tried to discern what was going on beneath the bench. He saw a little bundle which he presumed was Puppy. Crawling further underneath the table he carefully extended his hands. Puppy made a weak attempt to snap at him but he ignored it, gently pulling the little wolf out from her hiding place under the bench.

Moving out backwards from under the table he immediately saw that something was wrong. Puppy was much less energetic than her usual self and breathing flatly, flinching back from him when he tried to touch her tummy. Another quick look and feel underneath the table and bench quickly confirmed Dwalin's suspicions - she had clearly made a meal out of the leftovers and eaten all kinds of food that surely couldn't be good for a young puppy to digest. Dwalin sighed - what was he to do now? Puppy whined quietly in his grip and he gently stroked her head with this thumb, trying to calm her down. Maybe Óin would be able to help.

The healer who had made himself a name during Azanulbizar for his skill despite his youth had been sitting close to them during the dinner and so Dwalin made his way back to Thorin, Puppy securely tucked into the crook of his arm. Thorin frowned as soon as he caught sight of him, always adept at reading his One's expression and the feelings behind it.

"What's wrong?" he asked as soon as Dwalin was close enough to hear.

"I think she ate something wrong." Dwalin told him. "I found her amidst some of the leftover food and sweets and she's acting like she's in pain..."

"I'll get Óin." Thorin replied without hesitation, gesturing for Dwalin to sit down and wait until he was back. He reached out to pat Puppy on the head but what was happening to her clearly frightened the little wolf, so she snapped at him and Thorin withdrew his hand quickly.

It didn't take him long to return, their healer trailing after him. Dwarves rarely had pets apart from ravens and the ponies they used to pull their carts and for long travels. Most of the time their healers knew a thing or two about animals as well, enough to keep the few ones the dwarrows had in good health.

Dwalin was more than relieved when Óin told him that Puppy should be fine with enough rest, no more food this night and a lot to drink. The old healer also issued him a stern warning to take better care of his little protégé in the future - Dwalin only hugged the little wolf protectively and nodded.

"She'll be fine. No need to worry too much." Thorin said soothingly, putting a hand on Dwalin's shoulder after the healer had retreated and left them alone again. Dwalin nodded at him, still not willing to let go of Puppy.

That night he put her in a basket right next to his bedside, checking worriedly every few hours whether she was truly alright. To his relief, Óin had been right and Puppy seemed none the worse for wear the next day, the final day of Summer Fest celebrations. She was jumping excitedly around their legs as they were getting ready after he had taken her out in the morning, apparently eager for the day and celebrations to start. Dwalin vowed to himself that he'd take good care of her this time round and not let her out of his sight again.

The air was humid and heavy when they stepped outside and Dwalin hoped fervently that there wouldn't be a storm. Most of the dwarves threw worried glances at the sky as they prepared the great celebrations, but they continued nonetheless. It would be a poor dwarf who would let their actions be dictated by the weather - especially if it might be a thunderstorm, a sign from the Maker himself. They would give thanks to Him for His blessings this year first before Dís and Thorin would honour the winners of the previous day's competitions and then proceed to open the first dance. Then the general merrymaking would begin.

The very first dance was traditionally the one dedicated to families. ‘Family’, however, didn't always mean relation by blood - each dwarf could chose the family they wanted to belong to, especially if they didn't feel comfortable with their own blood or had no more close living relatives. After the Dance of Family, it was the Dance of Crafts - the different guilds would each have their own sections in the dance, even if they were only represented by one single dwarrow. The last one was the Dance of Friendship and Love so that all those without a One or without a need for a One would not feel left out. It was traditionally led by those who had formed close bonds in the previous year, be it by marriage or otherwise.

During those dances the community always found together, celebrating life and everything they had been able to achieve since the previous summer. Dwalin dimly remembered the grandeur of the Summer Fest in Erebor - although they barely saw anything of the seasons inside the mountain, it had still been celebrated lavishly, the dwarrows never shy when it came to finding yet another excuse for drinking ale and celebrating. The grand hall had been filled with people of all ages and professions and Dwalin recalled what a carefully planned out procession the Dance of the Crafts had been with so many different guilds in attendance. There, it wouldn't have been only Víli and his old master who danced for their guild, but dozens upon dozens of engineers, architects and mathematicians.

It was late afternoon, the fires just about to be lit, when they heard the first growl of thunder in the sky. Everyone looked up at once, raising their mugs with ale and cider towards the sky and bellowing the ancient Khuzdul blessings worthy of greeting their Maker. Thunderstorms, as opposed to simple rain, had always been holy to them and they regarded it as honour that their Maker was sending them a sign on a celebratory day like this one.

Nonetheless, there were vast mountains of dark clouds piling up in the sky and they hurried to carry the tables and food inside the assembly hall, the only building that would be able to hold all the dwarves. Despite the love for their Maker it would be a shame to waste good food and it was easier to appreciate the thunder from a dry place inside. Dwalin made sure to always carry Puppy with him in a pouch he'd made so that she wouldn't get crushed under the tables and heavy boots of the dwarves or get lost. He had heard of the so-called 'leashes' but privately thought that he'd rather not bind Puppy to him like that. Most of the time she had been following him of her own free will anyway and had only wandered off when her hunger or curiosity had prompted her to.

The dwarrows were lucky - just when they were bringing in the last of the tables the rain began to fall. It was a typical summer rain - thick drops that drenched everything within minutes, creating a noise so loud it sounded like hundreds of small pebbles were falling from the sky all at once. After the initial strong shower the rain slowly evened out as the dwarrows looked on, drawing a few murmured complaints that it would be impossible for them to go back out now and light the fires, dampening the mood of many in the Hall.

Someone audibly cleared their throat and Dwalin's head whipped around, his eyes widening as he saw Thorin. He hadn't noticed that his One had brought his harp over to the hall and wondered quietly when Thorin had done it; it must have been this morning for Dwalin had seen it in their house only yesterday night.

Thorin didn't speak any grand introductory words, but instead simply set his fingers to his instrument and began to play. Slowly, even the last whispered conversation in the Hall began to die down as the dwarrows were quiet in order to listen to their king's music.

Dwalin smiled when he recognised the tune - it was an old song that had been passed down through generations in the mountain and had been written for Summer Fest especially. Dwalin hadn't heard Thorin play it since the Fall of Erebor and was surprised his partner still remembered it. It was one of the faster and more joyous songs, telling the story of two lovers meeting first at Summer Fest and recalling the memory of that first meeting when they lead the Dance of Love and Friendship over a decade later.

Thorin looked up whilst he was playing, his eyes searching for Dwalin's and a quiet smile around his mouth that made Dís grin from ear to ear and sent pure warmth trickling down Dwalin's spine. Even Puppy was quiet, sitting next to Dwalin's feet, completely alert and with both ears turned towards Thorin, obviously fascinated by the sounds.

Silence reigned for a moment after he was finished before the Hall exploded in clapping and shouting, the mood having lifted noticeably. As if to underline his song, one last thunder clap echoed through the settlement, signalling the departure of the thunderstorm. A quick glance outside showed Dwalin that it had stopped raining as well and with a bright smile on his face he walked over to his One.

"I didn't think you'd really play." he said, remembering their conversation from the previous day.

"Me neither." Thorin chuckled. "I had the harp brought along this morning more for convenience than anything else. But the moment just seemed right."

"It was."

Most of the other dwarrows had started to bring the tables with the food on them back outside again and Dwalin used the moment of their inattention to press his forehead to Thorin's temple for a quick moment. He knew Thorin didn't like to show affection publicly and so he let the touch last only for a brief moment before anyone could see them. Thorin smiled at him and then proceeded to carefully wrap up the almost dwarrow-high harp again and put it back into its case with Dwalin's help.

"Looks like it's clearing up again." Dwalin threw a glance outside where the last clouds were slowly vanishing and revealing a bright blue sky once more. Somehow, everything seemed more intense - the air was clearer than before, the smell of the wet earth thick and rich, the laughter from the other dwarves louder. Something touched his leg and Dwalin looked down to see Puppy sitting between him and Thorin, her tiny tail swishing over the floor in happiness. He knew that she was eager to go play in the mud and wet grass and with a sigh he thought about how he would have to clean up after her later if she carried all that dirt inside.

Thorin shifted his position slightly next to him, bumping his shoulder affectionately. The other dwarrows had already left, the celebrations having picked up outside. Thankfully the wood from the dead trees they had used for the pyres had been so dry that the short thunderstorm hadn't hampered their ability to burn too much.

Dwalin noticed that Thorin was leaning closer to him, searching for Dwalin's hand with his own and intertwining their fingers once he had found it. He smiled at the unusual display of affection from his One.

"What are you thinking about?" Thorin asked him softly.

"That Puppy is likely going to become very dirty in the course of the night and I'll be the one cleaning the mud from the floorboards tomorrow."

Dwalin could feel Thorin's answering grin at his words.

"You knew what you were getting yourself into when you took her in." Thorin reminded him softly and Dwalin grimaced, rumbling his assent.

"Still...I guess I can help you a little." he continued and Dwalin turned his head just in time to see the sparkle of mirth dancing in his One's eyes.

"Thank you." Dwalin replied and squeezed Thorin's fingers a little more tightly.

"Mm." Thorin shifted his position and pressed a light kiss on his One's temple. They stood together for a moment longer, watching the celebrations outside pick up speed again and enjoying the short moment belonging only to them.

That was until Puppy evidently came to the conclusion that they had stood still for long enough and she really wanted to play outside now - with a little cry of enjoyment she weaselled out from between their legs and threw herself into the mud outside to recover a little stick she had discovered there. Dwalin cursed and followed her, Thorin's laughter ringing in his ears.


	3. Lost [Prompt: The Road]

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The last two fics were so happy, time for something a little more angsty. Before the angst though - A TINY DWARF BABY IS BORN AND THORIN IS THE PROUDEST UNCLE IN ALL OF MIDDLE-EARTH.

Summer came and went and somehow it seemed to Thorin that it had gone by faster than the blink of an eye. After Summer Fest everything went back to its normal ways- well, almost normal if one didn't include the newest additions to their household. Thorin still remembered his utter disbelief when Dwalin had brought Puppy home the first time: she had looked so tiny in his partner's large hands that he was half worried she would disappear somewhere between his fingers or the folds of his clothes. Thorin had never been overly fond of the dogs that he had seen in Dale and other settlements of men, although he had always liked the animals they'd lived within the mountain, especially the ravens. As a youngster he had often escaped Erebor and climbed up to Ravenhill to their nesting places and always found that he was welcome amongst the birds. He sometimes wondered whether some of the ravens there had managed to escape the dragon and what had become of them. Dogs and wolves as pets, however…no, they reminded him far too much of wargs at times.

Unfortunately, it had been obvious from the first moment on that Dwalin was completely _smitten_ with Puppy. Thorin would have been jealous hadn’t he noticed how much Dwalin seemed to enjoy taking care of the little wolf. And after a few days had passed even he had to admit that Puppy was indeed rather cute. That was, as long as she _wasn’t_ chewing on his clothes, jumping on their bed in the middle of the night or spreading the dirt from outside all over their floor.

Puppy had grown markedly over the summer months and was far too heavy for Dwalin to carry around now like he had done in the first few weeks. Often she disappeared into the forest for hours on end, but always returned; and her urge for playing hadn’t waned yet. She would still pounce on every second item that she saw as well as chase and wrestle with Dwalin every opportunity that she got.

Much more significant changes than the presence of a wolf pup in their joined households had happened towards the end of the summer months – Dís’ pregnancy had finally come to an end and she had given birth to her first child. The young dwarrow was yet without an official open name and would remain so until the naming ceremony seven months after having been born; but Dís had already confided into Thorin that she and Víli had all intentions of naming their little one Fíli and Thorin could find no objections to it.

Thorin had been so nervous during the birth that Dís had sent him over to Balin’s half of their shared home after a short while, just so that she ‘wouldn’t have to listen to you walking holes into the floor with your pacing’ and although Thorin felt like a traitor, he had relented to his sister’s wishes. Víli had stayed with their wife and although Thorin could feel the nervousness radiating from them they had put up a surprisingly calm façade. Of course Thorin hadn’t slept a single moment that night, sitting in Balin’s work room instead where he smoked one pipe after the other with Dwalin at his side, Puppy lying across his feet and Balin sitting opposite him, until Balin had coughed pointedly and opened one of the windows to let out all the smoke.

When Óin had finally called him and the others back in, Thorin had been trembling with nervousness. It all had dissipated like a cloud after a thunderstorm, however, when his sister, tired but seemingly alright, had waved him over and, without further ado, put the little bundle of dwarfling in his arms. Thorin had been scared of dropping the babe at first, but all his fears had vanished the moment he had looked into Fíli’s scrunched up little face for the first time, barely noticing how Dwalin came to stand next to him, putting a hand on his shoulder and squeezing tightly.

“Uncle Thorin.” Dís grinned tiredly. Víli, lying in bed next to her and with their arms around their wife, mirrored her expression. Thorin could already feel his face hurt from how widely he was smiling. A quick look over his shoulder showed him that Dwalin was looking exactly the same. Balin, standing on his other side, was sharing their smile as well.

“Welcome to the world, little heir of Durin.” he whispered to the baby in his arms and could feel Dwalin’s fingers squeezing tightly again. His heart seemed to ache with happiness and he didn’t even know what to do with all the joy bubbling over inside him.

“Can I?” Dwalin asked softly first in Dís and Víli’s, then in Thorin’s direction. After the parents had nodded, Thorin carefully handed him the little baby, watching as Dwalin gently took hold of it. Fíli looked even tinier in his large hands and Dwalin’s eyes were brimming with joy at the newest arrival of their line as he looked down. Thorin had never thought about it before, but for a moment he wondered what it would have been like for the two of them to have children. He was sure that Dwalin would have made for a wonderful father, just as he would now make for a wonderful uncle. At least now that he had an heir, Thorin would finally be able to realise those small concept sketches that he had been keeping at the bottom of his working tool drawer for years.

Dwalin had been hesitant about bringing Puppy and Fíli together at first, fearing that the little wolf could accidentally be too rough with the babe. However, his fears were quickly alleviated once Puppy had proven to have little interest in the baby for now as long as it wasn’t screaming; Dwalin knew that would probably change as soon as Fíli turned older and would be able to interact more with the little wolf, but for now he was reassured that nothing bad would happen as long as either he or Thorin had an eye on them.

The last few weeks had passed in a flurry of activities and Thorin had found himself busier than ever. He had insisted that both Dís and Víli take some time off their practical work to be with their newborn child; and with Dwalin’s help in the forge he had been able to keep both their customers satisfied and his family happy. Additionally the preparations for the Durin’s Day festivities had started and the normal governing work had to be done, keeping him busy until late at night more than once. Durin’s Day promised to be a fine celebration this year, with the marriage between Bombur and his soon-to-be spouse Rúni and the first official opportunity for the rest of the dwarrow folk to get to know little Fíli.

Twelve days before the celebration would begin Dwalin left the settlement in order to visit some of their trade partners in a village further south and deliver a set of weapons they had ordered a while back and that Thorin and him had been able to complete just in time with the occasional help from Dís. Thorin would have gone himself, but the multitude of his responsibilities left him no time for it. He couldn’t completely hide his worry when Dwalin set off, Puppy at his heels, although he knew that his One had done the same journey multiple times before. Dwalin pressed a quick kiss to his brow and promised to be back before Durin’s Day, waving as he began to walk off with the heavy bundle of weapons and necessities on his back.

Thorin never slept peacefully when he didn’t have Dwalin by his side, no matter for how long or where his One was gone. His mind gave him nightmares more often than not, adding Dwalin’s face to the gallery of the dead until he woke up and could taste the echo of a scream on his tongue. He often rolled over to Dwalin’s side of the bed during those nights, breathing in the faint memory of his scent that was still lingering in the pillows. At least this time, it would only be for a few days, not months like it had happened before.

Three days after Dwalin had left it began to rain, one downpour after another sweeping over them together with heavy winds. It was early for the autumn and winter storms to begin - they normally arrived after Durin's Day and were the signal for them not to do any prolonged travelling anymore for as long as winter lasted. Thorin watched with increasing worry how every path seemed to turn into a treacherous mudslide and puddles soon became miniature ponds. The small river next to the settlement turned into a raging torrent, ripping down trees and constantly changing its path so that Thorin forbade anybody from going too close.

His worry soon turned to fear when there still wasn’t any sign of Dwalin after five days – he should have been back by now. Unable to sleep, Thorin lay awake at night and stared at the ceiling of his room, his mind tormenting him with everything that could have happened to Dwalin on the way, from being crushed by a falling tree to getting buried under a landslide. Dís knew what was on his mind and tried to keep him occupied as much as she could by making him care for little Fíli, from bathing the baby to singing songs until it fell asleep, tasks that Thorin carried out gladly, although the worry inside him never vanished.

Five days before Durin’s Day the rain still hadn’t let up, but had become lighter so that it was at least possible to see further than the next two houses again. Thorin spent as much time as he could looking down the road that came up to the settlement from the valley, the road that Dwalin should have appeared on a few days ago. He was pacing back and forth in the forge, barely able to concentrate on his current work. Suddenly, a low whine sounded from the doorway. Turning around he thought his knees would give way when he saw Puppy waiting at the entrance to the forge. She had learned a while ago that she wasn’t allowed inside for Thorin and Dwalin had feared she might accidentally hurt herself amongst all the sharp and heavy tools.

Thorin dropped his work almost instantly and gave his hands a quick rinse before he kneeled down in front of the little wolf, coaxing her to come closer. She whined again and finally stepped inside and immediately into his arms. Her fur was completely drenched and Thorin could feel her shivering with cold and exhaustion under his touch. Without a moment of hesitation he grabbed the first relatively clean cloth he could find and wrapped her in it, all the while murmuring soothing words.

“What happened, Puppy? Where’s Dwalin?”

She whined again whilst he was rubbing her dry and moved closer to him. After a short moment of hesitation Thorin picked her up, noticing once again how heavy and large she had become in the past months, and carried her over to their living room. Dís and Víli looked up the moment he entered, the worry on their face palpable as they saw the bundled-up Puppy in his arms.

“She just came into the forge.” Thorin explained, not even trying to hide his worry.

He immediately moved her closer to the fire that was lit in the hearth and went into the pantry to get some food for her. Instead of staying in front of the fire, Puppy followed him, still whining, as if she wanted to tell him something. Thorin watched her as she ate and drank with such haste as if she’d rather be doing something else.

“Something must have happened to Dwalin.” he said quietly, more to himself than to Dís and Víli who had helped him find the right food for Puppy and were now watching him and her worriedly, holding on to their baby as if Fíli could somehow change what had happened. Thorin was already on his feet again, grabbing his overcoat and heavy cloak against the rain, and, after a moment’s thought, the small first aid kit they always kept ready and some drink and food.

“Thorin, shouldn’t you take someone else with you?” Dís had already handed their babe over to Víli and was about to get ready herself. Neither of them questioned what he was doing, knowing far too well that there would be no holding him back, not when it was about Dwalin.

“No, I’ll be fine.” He wasn’t sure how to tell his sister that he felt the absurd urge to go alone, that he’d rather she stayed here with her partner and child so that he knew where he could find them should he need more help. “But keep ready – I’ll send puppy should I need more help. Tell Balin what happened when he’s finished giving his lessons to the young ones and inform Óin that we might need him later. And, for Mahal’s sake, keep Balin from running right after me, I know he would. ”

The little wolf was already halfway through the door, seemingly sensing what Thorin’s plan was. He quickly checked that he had everything he needed before taking a deep breath and nodding at Víli and his sister. Dís gave him a crooked smile and pressed a quick kiss to his forehead.

“We will. Be careful.” She told him. Thorin thought of himself saying the same to Dwalin a few days earlier. His throat suddenly closed up and the only thing he could do in reply was to nod at her again before he stepped out of the door.

The cold rain was still coming down steadily and Thorin felt a moment of regret for having to take Puppy out into the bad weather again, although she seemed more than eager to go. He adjusted the position of his pack and then looked down at her.

“Come on, let’s go find Dwalin. That’s what you wanted to tell me, yes? That you know where Dwalin is?”

Puppy made an agreeing noise and set off down the road towards the valley, stopping from time to time to see whether Thorin was actually following her. He tried to walk as fast as he could without running and using up too much energy; he didn’t have any idea how far they would be going and he would rather not use up all his strength before he needed it.

Puppy led him down the road and away from the settlement and Thorin had the chance to see what the torrential rainfall and strong winds of the past days had done to the forest and its surroundings. In some places, especially at the mountainside, parts of the road had simply been washed away and more than once he had to climb over fallen trees blocking his path. He saw several small landslides that had gone down the mountain and supposed he could be glad that they hadn’t made the road completely impassable.

All of a sudden, Puppy started making high-pitched noises and increased her speed, charging straight down the mountainside over a landslide that had gone off at the edge of the road, leaving only a small part of it stable enough to walk on.

"Puppy, wait!" Thorin called after her, but she didn't seem to hear him. He cursed and carefully made his way down the road until he had reached the other end of the landslide’s beginning. Then he started climbing down the mountainside in the direction that Puppy had disappeared in. There was only one reason that could have prompted her to leave the road so suddenly.

"Dwalin!" He was shouting his One's name at the top of his lungs. In a moment of silence he thought he'd heard a weak reply, but wasn't sure, so he doubled his efforts once again. "DWALIN! Where are you?"

This time the reply was unmistakeable and Thorin thought he heard his name and a quiet 'here!’. A moment later a brown-and-grey shadow shot out of the trees to come to a halt in front of him. Puppy looked up at Thorin as if deploring him to hurry up.

"You found him?" Thorin asked her and Puppy started wagging her tail in an almost frantic motion. Thorin took it as a positive reply and tried to walk faster - however, it proved difficult since the ground was anything but stable and he kept slipping on the steep mountain side, his arms, face and hands soon covered in scratches. He couldn't have cared less since with every step, Dwalin's voice became easier to understand.

"Dwalin!" he shouted again and finally he could see him. Dwalin was on the ground, leaning against a half-fallen tree and one leg trapped under the trunk of another one. Thorin breathed a quick sigh of relief that he didn't seem to be mortally wounded - although as he came closer, he could see how pale he was and that shivers were running through his body. Puppy was sitting next to him, whining quietly and licking his hand until Dwalin lifted his hand to pet her.

"Hey." he smiled weakly at Thorin.

"You look terrible." Thorin blurted out before he could think, in a desperate attempt to say something that didn't betray his own worry. Dwalin frowned and chuckled.

"Thanks. I have no clue why that could be." He managed to coax the attempt of a smile out of Thorin before his One knelt down next to him and carefully checked his pulse and the warmth of his skin.

"Here." Thorin opened one of the metal flasks he had brought and held it to Dwalin's lips, hoping that the mulled cider inside that he had taken with him was still warm enough. Dwalin made an attempt to hold the flask himself but his hand was shaking too much and Thorin had felt just how icy his skin was when he had touched him earlier. The drink seemed to help at least a little, for Dwalin managed another, stronger smile and a 'thanks' at him before he leaned his head back against the tree once more.

Thorin put down his pack and took off his overcoat, gently spreading it over Dwalin to help him warm up and protect him from the rain, soaked through as he was. Then he went to look at the tree that was trapping Dwalin's leg, twisting it in a strange direction.

"What happened?" he asked, trying to keep Dwalin occupied and himself from worrying too much. He had seen enough dwarrows that looked like they were fairly alright die all of a sudden and of seemingly harmless wounds.

"The trade went well." Dwalin's tone was that of a soldier delivering a report and Thorin knew he was using it to distract himself from the pain. "I stayed a day longer because of the strong rainfalls, but it didn't look like it would let up anytime soon, so I finally set out yesterday. Everything went well until I got caught in this landslide. I heard a rumble and suddenly the earth gave way. I could jump aside so I wasn't completely crushed, but lost my footing and tumbled down the hill, losing consciousness. When I woke up again, I was in this position and my pack gone, so I sent Puppy to find you."

Dwalin ruffled the wolf's wet fur and Puppy whined again, pressing against his side.

"Good girl." he murmured quietly and Thorin nodded.

"I knew something was wrong when she came to the forge alone." he admitted, trying not to let any hint of just how much anguish he'd felt into his voice. He almost forced out the next words. "I just hoped that you...you were still alive."

"I still am." Dwalin's smile was crooked and he couldn't suppress a quiet hiss of pain when Thorin carefully tried to move the tree on his leg.

"Sorry." Thorin murmured, trying to think of a way how he could lift the trunk off Dwalin alone. "And you better stay that way."

"I will." Dwalin grunted. "You know me, harder to kill than weed and-"

He paused, breathing in sharply as Thorin began to try and lift the tree in earnest. Thorin mentally apologised to Dwalin, not having the breath to say anything - the tree was simply too heavy. He couldn't move it. He ground his teeth in frustration, telling himself that this couldn't be it, he wouldn't let his One lie here and possibly die whilst he or Puppy had to go back and fetch help. _He couldn't_. With a roar he tried again, not even thinking anymore, just putting all his strength and desperation into his arms. The tree moved slightly and, encouraged by it, he ignored the burning of his muscles and poured every last ounce of strength he didn't even know he had into what he was doing. The trunk lifted a little more, enough for Dwalin to put his hands around his leg and pull it out from underneath with a shout of pain. Thorin let go of the tree and it fell back to ground with a crash, sending tremors through the earth that crept up through their bodies.

For a moment, neither of them spoke, busy catching their breaths. Thorin knew he ordinarily would've never had the strength to lift the trunk off Dwalin, but he also knew that it would take a lot more than that to keep him from helping his One.

"We need to get you back." Thorin said quietly once he was finally able to breathe normally again. "Can you stand up for a moment?"

Dwalin didn't reply, but carefully shrugged off Thorin's coat, trying to bring himself into an upright sitting position. He abandoned the movement halfway through, hissing as his hands flew to his chest. Thorin was kneeling at this side in less than a moment.

"Your ribs?" he asked, hands hovering over Dwalin's body, unwilling to cause him any more pain. Dwalin just nodded quietly and Thorin cursed. They'd have to be careful if they didn't want to end with a rib end piercing an important organ. He just fervently hoped that there hadn't been any more damage on the inside that they weren't able to see yet.

"Come on, we need to get you up." he told him quietly. Puppy was running back and forth next to them, still whining worriedly. With all the gentleness he could muster he helped Dwalin first into a seating position and then to stand up, letting him lean against the tree so he would have to put no weight on his leg. Dwalin was already panting heavily by the time he was standing, little beads of sweat on his forehead. Thorin gave him some more cider and then proceeded to close up his pack.

"I'll have to carry you." he said matter-of-factly.

"It's a long march." Dwalin replied, his voice rough. "Are you sure you-"

"I won't leave you." Thorin pressed out. "We're going back together or we're not going back at all. I can come back for the pack later."

"Give me the pack. You'd just get lost trying to find it again."

Thorin would have punched Dwalin if he wasn't sure that it would make his injuries much worse. However, he also knew that his One would insist and so he sighed quietly and helped Dwalin get it on his back, lending him his shoulder to lean on. Dwalin grunted several times in pain, but said nothing else. At least it wasn't heavy. Thorin made sure the straps were secured and then kneeled down so he could take him on his shoulders.

Dwalin was a heavy dwarf. Tall and covered in muscle, he had never been a lightweight and Thorin grit his teeth when he felt his weight settle on his shoulders. But they were dwarves, made to carry heavy burdens, and Dwalin was his One. He would never leave him here.

The first part was the hardest for him - he somehow had to carry Dwalin up the mountainside, over uneven and unsteady ground that was now giving in even more easily under the increased weight. Dwalin held on to him with all his might and Thorin could sense how hard it was for him to hold back noises of pain as he was jolted around.

"Sorry." Thorin panted after he'd lost footing yet again, causing him to almost tumble down the hill if he hadn't made a quick site step and held on to a low branch. In the same movement he had accidentally smashed Dwalin's broken leg against the tree as.

"Shut up." Dwalin pressed out between clenched teeth. "If you apologize one more time, I'll let myself fall off your back."

He couldn't see the answering weak grin on Thorin's face, but felt his small nod.

It seemed like an eternity until they finally reached the road again. Puppy was waiting for them, tail wagging and looking on worriedly as Thorin leaned against a tree for a moment to catch his breath.

"Do you need a break?" Dwalin asked worriedly and moved as if to get off his back. Thorin shook his head.

"No. Let's keep moving." He didn't say that he feared he'd never get him up on his back again if he put Dwalin down now. Thorin also didn't mention the worry that was still nagging at him - despite the false cheeriness in his voice, he could feel how the effect of the cider was dwindling and Dwalin became weaker again, barely able to suppress the trembling of his limbs from the cold and pain. His skin was still icy.

Puppy rubbed her head against Thorin's leg when he continued walking, as if to encourage him and Dwalin chuckled weakly at her antics.

"I'm glad she was with me." he said quietly and Thorin hummed an agreement. He needed all his strength for walking at the moment; there wasn't much left for conversation. Dwalin continued to share small observations with him along the way although he grew more and more quiet as they went on, making Thorin worry even more.

After more than two thirds of the way Dwalin was completely quiet. Thorin was alarmed when he felt his One's head sink forwards, as if he was falling asleep - or unconscious.

"Dwalin! Oy, Dwalin!" Thorin shook him a little although his muscles answered with screams of protest. He could barely feel his legs or arms anymore; only sheer stubbornness and desperation were keeping him going now. "No falling asleep now, we're almost there!"

"But I'm tired." Dwalin sounded a little like a petulant child. Thorin could feel the fear inside him grow when he noticed how weak and rough his voice seemed to be.

"You can sleep when we're back." he told him. "Tell me, am I still going the right way? I feel like I'm lost."

"'course you are right." Dwalin murmured and that more than anything else set off every alarm in Thorin's head that he possessed. Usually Dwalin _never_ passed up an opportunity to make fun of him and his sense of direction.

"No, Dwalin, I want you to _look_." Thorin insisted, intentionally jolting his broken leg even though he hated himself for it. Dwalin gave a shout of pain, but at least he raised his head.

"Go left over there." he finally said and Thorin breathed a quiet sigh of relief. It was the right way - Puppy had known and he would have as well, but it was good to see that Dwalin hadn't completely lost his grip on reality yet.

Despite feeling so tired that he thought he would break down any moment he tried to keep Dwalin talking, prodded him again and again to keep him awake with any topic that he could think of, not listening to his One's complaints that he was tired and wanted to sleep. Every single step he took seemed to turn into a prayer to his Maker for endurance and he just hoped he would be able to reach the settlement before his legs gave waybeneath him. Puppy was running ahead and coming back to him as if to encourage him and he knew that the settlement wasn't much farther now.

It had started to go dark when he finally saw the lights in the first houses, not too far away. Dwalin had fallen quiet on his back again but Thorin didn't have the strength to do anything else but put one foot in front of the other and will his arms to keep carrying the weight; he just hoped he would be back in time for Dwalin to survive.

As soon as Puppy saw the lights she was running on ahead. Thorin had no breath left to call after her and doggedly trudged on instead, telling himself that he would rest after just another step, just one more, one more...

"Thorin! Dwalin!"

Thorin lifted his head, weariness surging through his body and making the movement all but impossible. He saw bobbing lights coming towards him and thought for a moment it was just an illusion before the voices called out again and his brain slowly realised that he knew the voices.

"Dís." he croaked.

"Thorin!" The voice was louder this time and soon he could make out his sister's and Balin's worried faces. He didn't remember much from afterwards - at some point there were hands on him, gently prying Dwalin off his back although he wouldn't let go; a shoulder under his arm and whispered reassurances in his ear, the scent of iron that was always in his sister's hair filling his nose as she helped him along, Balin's worried commands somewhere in his ears.

The rest of the evening passed in a daze. Thorin vaguely recalled eating and drinking and water, blessedly warm water all around him. However, those sensations were trivial compared to the roaring in his mind, a single thought making its way to the forefront of his thinking - Dwalin. He knew he said his name over and over again until Dís reassured him that Dwalin was safe, that he would be fine and that they both should never, ever do such a stupid thing again. A wave of relief surged through him at her words and he finally fell asleep.

The next morning he was woken up by four paws on his chest and a little tongue licking his face. Thorin groaned, waving his hands blindly in the air in order to push Puppy away from him - and groaned again, this time more loudly as his arms seemed to protest every single one of his movements with an ache that went down to his very bones.

"Good morning."

Thorin finally succeeded to at least keep Puppy from giving his face a very thorough wash and cracked his eyes open to the image of his sister, sitting at his bedside and humming quietly to herself as she was nursing Fíli.

"Hey." Thorin's awareness and memories finally returned in full and he turned around in panic, only to see Dwalin sleeping next to him, snoring gently, his breathing a deep and even rhythm. Colour had returned to his face and Thorin would have almost thought it all no more than a bad dream hadn't it been for the scraps on his arms and face, the bandages peeking out from under his shirt and the bulky shape under the blanket that marked the splintered and bound leg.

Dís had noticed the direction of his gaze and smiled.

"He'll be fine. Óin set the bones, splintered the leg and ribs yesterday and treated the rest of his wounds immediately after you arrived and we managed to get him warmed up again in time for there to be no serious damage."

Thorin breathed out a relieved sigh and sank back into his pillows. He knew that his own tiredness and aching muscles were only due to the exertion yesterday, nothing else. The long night had restored most of his strength and he felt ravenous.

"How long have I been asleep?" he asked his sister. Dís changed Fíli's position from one breast to the other and patted her young one's cheek before she replied.

"Most of the night and morning. It'll be lunchtime soon, although Óin said you'd be starving when you woke up and so Balin is keeping some hot breakfast warm for you."

"And Dwalin?"

"He was awake earlier than you." Dís grinned. "Ate like a half-starved wolf and then he wouldn't shut up until we brought him here from Óin’s and let him sleep next to you."

Thorin smiled and patted Puppy who was standing on his lap and sniffing at his face once more. The little wolf definitely deserved all the extra food she could get after all she had done for them yesterday. He didn't even want to think about what might have happened hadn't it been for her. She looked dry, well-fed and happy and Thorin was glad to see that she didn't seem to have carried away any significant damages from the ordeal yesterday.

"What do you think about breakfast?" he asked her and Puppy wagged her tail excitedly, trying to lick his face again.


	4. Durin's Day [Prompt: Gifts]

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> After yesterday's angst - here, have some more cuddly stuff.

Durin’s Day came and the sky was still covered in clouds, rain falling frequently and in great quantities. It would be useless to light the large fires outside this year, so they decided that they would celebrate the coming of the New Year in the largest of the settlement's halls this time, the assembly hall. The prospect did little to hamper everyone’s anticipation for the celebrations; Durin’s Day was always looked forward to, especially by the children. Traditionally, it was the time of the year where gifts were being exchanged between friends and family.

Dwalin had recovered from the cold and weakness quickly enough and had complained loudly about having to stay in bed for the entire afternoon the day after Thorin had found him. His complaints had become even louder when Thorin had finally left their bed, forced to go back to his own work and the duties that were rapidly increasing in load so close to Durin’s Day. In the end, Víli and Dís had only rolled their eyes and fashioned him two crutches after Óin’s instructions so that he could limp around the house, although the old healer warned him not to overdo it. _He_ certainly _wouldn’t_ be responsible for any new damage to his ribs or leg if Dwalin managed to fall somehow. The fact that Puppy seemed to be determined not to let Dwalin out of her sight anymore and was as such constantly getting in his way and between his feet didn’t help Dwalin’s cause either. In his desperation he offered Víli and Dís to babysit their little one should they wish him to. Thorin grinned widely when he came home three days before Durin’s Day and found Puppy next to Dwalin’s feet, his One and Fíli asleep on Dwalin’s favourite armchair in front of the fire and their mouths open in an expression that was comically similar between them. It was no wonder that all of them were always tired, considered that he couldn't quite remember the last night they had been able to sleep through without a crying baby waking them up.

Thorin still felt gratitude every time he looked at his One and saw him alive and unharmed. He had woken up more than once in the previous nights, convinced that his nightmares had become true and that he had never managed to bring Dwalin back alive. The thought often caused him to reach out blindly with his hand and feel for the other side of the bed, his ragged breath only calming down again when he felt Dwalin’s reassuringly warm body next to him, alive and breathing. Dwalin usually murmured something unintelligible and shifted his position slightly so that he could pull Thorin closer to himself. It was only in his warm embrace that Thorin was finally able to fall back asleep again.

Durin’s Day also marked the day that Fíli would officially be introduced to the rest of the settlement and named as Thorin’s heir, even though the Naming itself would take place later. There would be an assembly before the festivities began at which the events of the past year would be recalled and a prayer of thanks would be said to their Maker. Thorin would be required to give a grand speech for this purpose and as such, he had spent endless hours in the past evenings going through everything that he wanted to say with Balin, Dís and everyone else. Dwalin made a sport out of it to jump in with some ‘helpful’ advice until Thorin threw a boot at him and Víli was laughing so hard they woke up Fíli and had to try and calm down the screaming babe under Dís' glare.

It was the eve before Durin’s Day when Dwalin decided that he could as well start to sharpen all his weapons if he was damned to move around as little as possible. With his brother’s help he assembled most of his weapons in the living room and began working on them meticulously one by one. He knew that Thorin would be out until late this night to make sure that all the preparations for Durin’s Day would be complete before the next morning and so he was surprised when he heard his voice shortly after sundown already. Dís and Víli had gone over to the home of the Ri family for a chat and to look at the clothes they had commissioned from the seamstress Hulda and her son Dori. Balin was still in his own work room, looking over some documents.

"Dwalin."

He looked up from the knife that he was sharpening to see Thorin standing in the doorway leading into their house from the forges. There was something in his eyes that immediately made him set his task aside - he would have gotten up and walked towards him hadn't it been too much effort with the crutches. Thorin gave him a smile that looked almost nervous as he stepped inside and closed the door behind him. One of his hands was firmly clutched in his pocket and it took Dwalin only a moment to notice that something was different about him.

"How are the preparations going?" he asked as Thorin slowly walked up to him.

"Fine. It promises to be a grand celebration tomorrow."

Thorin sat down next to him, but he still seemed nervous, as if his entire being was under tension and he was ready to jump at any given moment. He took a deep breath and Dwalin put his hand on his shoulder to calm him down.

"Dwalin...there's something I need to give you." If he hadn't known better Dwalin could have sworn that Thorin's voice was slightly shaky.

"What is it?" Dwalin tried to sound as reassuring and light-hearted as possible.

"I know that gift giving is tomorrow, but I...I wanted you to have them now." He pulled his hand out of his pocket, whatever it was that was in his palm still obscured by his clenched fingers. "You know that I've never really been good at-, at-...all this."

He made an almost helpless gesture that somehow seemed to encompass the entire room and both of them. With another deep breath he pressed out the next words.

"So. Here. For you."

He opened his hand and held it out towards Dwalin, looking him straight into the eyes, trusting his gaze to convey what his words could not. Dwalin took a moment to realise what it was that resting on Thorin's palm, but when he did he thought his heart would stop.

There were two ear clasps of the finest make in Thorin's hands and it was clear that they had been made by his One's own hand. Engraved in them were fine patterns - the symbols of the Line of Durin and Thorin's own, intertwined with that of Fundin's part of the family line and Dwalin's symbol. His and Thorin's were close, forming something new and Dwalin recognised it immediately as the ancient pattern that proclaimed a partnership.

"You-" his voice was raspy and his fingers were trembling as he reached out, but didn't dare touch them yet. Dwalin's thoughts were racing and yet he felt almost unable to think. He tried again. "I- You- These are-"

"Yes." Thorin replied, his own voice still shaking and rougher than usual. "Would you have them?"

Dwalin was shaking his head, still unable to believe what he was seeing. He finally dared to take one of the clasps in his hand, once again marvelling at their fine make. Thorin must have started to make the plans and concept drawings for them months, maybe years ago. And now that Fíli had been born...

"Yes." he pressed out. "Of course, you idiot. Oh Thorin, _âzyungâl, yes._ "

He didn't really know what else to say, didn't know how to even process the fact that with this, Thorin had officially proclaimed him his One and bound himself to his fate for the rest of their lives and for all the world to see. He remembered the half-done ear clasps in his own drawer that only needed finishing touches added to them and how he had hoped he would be able to give them to Thorin on Durin's Day; however, he was glad that it had happened this way, that Thorin had been the first. It showed him that now that he had an heir, Thorin wouldn't hesitate any longer to show who he belonged to.

Thorin smiled at him, sheepishly, the adrenaline only now leaving his body and before he was able to say anything else, Dwalin leaned forward and kissed him. It was the one kiss he would remember for the rest of his life, even centuries after when all else had fallen to dust and disappeared, leaving only him behind. Thorin tasted of wood and sunshine, the scent of pine needles on a summer's eve, layered with smoke and iron beneath. Thorin opened up to him completely, gave him all he had and more, his one hand not occupied with the clasps pulling the warrior closer. Dwalin's fingers got tangled with Thorin's, the clasps firmly pressed between their palms and his other hand sneaked up into his One's hair, caressing the dark strands and the soft skin of his neck beneath.

"Can you help me put them on?" Dwalin asked, his voice husky when they finally parted from each other.

"Of course." Thorin's fingers were still trembling slightly, although Dwalin was sure that it was more due to the enormity of the moment rather than anything else. Nonetheless, his touch was gentle and careful when he slid the clasps onto Dwalin's earlobes, admiring their perfect fit when he was done. They leaned in to kiss again, smiling at each other stupidly with their foreheads pressed together like two young dwarves in their forties with their first major crush.

"They look beautiful on you." Thorin said, rubbing over the clasps with his thumb.

"That's because you made them." Dwalin grinned back and watched with pleasure how the tips of Thorin's ears started to turn red. He pressed a quick kiss to his nose and disentangled himself from his One, picking up the knife and whetstone again. Neither of them were overly prone to sentimentalities and there was work to do. Thorin watched him quietly for a moment longer before he got up, mentioning that Dís had requested his help with some of the last preparations for the next day. As soon as he was gone, Dwalin put his tools aside and set to work on something else that he now had every incentive to finish until tomorrow. Dwalin couldn’t help but reach up every few moments to touch the new clasps on his ears, not even trying to fight the smile coming on his face every time he did.

They made love later that night, slowly and softly, always mindful of Dwalin’s injuries, although they had done nothing to lessen his hunger. Dwalin thought that if he would have the ability to stop time and relive one moment over and over again, surely it would have to be this one – Thorin’s face contorted in pleasure above him as he spilled inside him, hair coming undone from the knot on the back of his head, the strands tingling the bare skin of Dwalin’s arms and chest, the sensation as they moved in a shared rhythm, everything around them blurring and then simply stopping to exist. Their names were tumbling from each other’s lips, shouted, whispered, chuckled and breathed against hot skin. They fell asleep with Dwalin’s head pillowed on Thorin’s shoulder and Thorin’s arms firmly wrapped around him, legs tangled and their hair mixing on the pillow between them.

The next morning came much too early for them both in the form of Puppy. The sun was barely up when the young wolf jumped gleefully on their bed and started to lick their faces with all the enthusiasm of her age. Thorin groaned and tried to bury his head deeper in the pillows, blindly swatting at the pup and of course hitting Dwalin instead. Dwalin gave a shout in response that was half-strangled by Puppy’s continued affections and finally managed to grab the wolf by the scruff of the neck who yowled in response to getting cast out off the bed.

For a moment, silence reigned before the crying of a baby sounded through the house. With all their ruckus, they had apparently woken up Fíli. Thorin sighed and wished he could just disappear. Dís and Víli would be _furious_. A few moments later Dís shouted his name and confirmed his fears – her angry voice was so loud that it woke up Balin, too, who pragmatically suggested that they could as well have breakfast now, awake as they all were. They all sat at the breakfast table with deep shadows under their eyes and rather dishevelled hair, staring at each other until Víli starting laughing so loudly that Fíli was bouncing up and down on their stomach where Víli had been feeding him.

“The sight you’re all making is incredible. Happy family, hu?” The seriousness and tension in the air lasted only a moment longer before the rest of them broke out into laughter too, Fíli opening his eyes and happily starting to join into the noise with some screaming of his own. Dwalin grinned as he saw Thorin laugh so openly and freely and privately he thought that Durin’s Day was getting off to a rather good start.

The rest of the day passed much as it had started – in good cheer and raucous laughter. The ongoing rain outside did little to dampen the mood of anyone and the cheers during Fíli’s official introduction and Bombur’s wedding were so loud Dwalin was half sure that they could be heard all the way to the Iron Hills. Puppy continued to wreak havoc wherever she went, but at least she didn’t eat anything she wasn’t supposed to like she had done at Summer Fest.

Traditionally, the celebrations would go on until the next morning where the new year would be greeted the moment the sun rose over the horizon. Children and those who wanted to were allowed to sleep in between, but it was expected of everyone to be awake for the sunrise where another prayer of honouring their Maker would be said.

It took Dwalin a while to catch Thorin on his own. As king he was everywhere at once, trying to talk to as many of his people as he could and have at least a sip of drink with everyone of them, especially the newly married couple. Dwalin was forced to stay behind at their table for most of the time, hampered in his ability to walk by his broken bones and still-bruised body. However, he wasn’t lacking in Company – Balin, Dís and Víli were sitting next to him with little Fíli on their lap and more than one joke and story on their lips. Several other dwarves joined them at their table throughout the night. Many of them cooed over Fíli first, but took more than one moment to talk to the other dwarrows as well and Bofur sang a number of songs with him when he found out that Dwalin could still play his fiddle even in a sitting position.

A lot of those who came by commented on his new ear clasps, congratulating him and Thorin and asking if they would be the ones getting married the following year, an assumption that Dwalin declined with a quick laugh. They had talked about it the previous night and agreed that neither of them thought a marriage necessary at the moment – Dwalin had no interest in becoming Thorin’s consort or anything of the sort, he was more than happy to remain the captain of his guard and armed forces rather than dabble in matters of state. Thorin had laughed and agreed with him, adding that he was unable to imagine Dwalin sitting in on every official meeting and occasion that was happening. They had proclaimed each other theirs officially with the clasp on Dwalin’s ears – there was no need for anything else. In their eyes and in those of their Maker's they were already bound as tightly as they could be. They had nothing to hide, but neither did they want anything more. Maybe, if they would ever retake Erebor…but such thoughts were far off and for naught, at least at the moment.

Many chose to give the Durin’s Day presents during the large dinner in the evening, but there were also those who preferred more private spots and times. Therefore, Thorin wasn’t surprised when Dwalin asked him for a moment of privacy in the room behind the assembly hall that was used as both storage room and work room for Thorin for those times when it was necessary that he was in the official building whilst he was doing paperwork and similar things. Thorin simply nodded at Dwalin’s request and waited until his partner had collected his crutches and was slowly making his way towards the door that was thankfully right behind their table.

Thorin, his cheeks reddened slightly from the alcohol of the day, pulled out a chair for Dwalin as soon as they were inside, offering him the seat. Dwalin smiled up at him and accepted the offer, lowering himself on it and stretching out his injured leg in front of him.

“So, what did you want to talk about?” A teasing smile flashed over Thorin’s face as he added: “Or were you thinking about something…different than talking?”

Dwalin tried to ignore the trickle of heat inside him at Thorin’s words. He was supposed to be _romantic_ , not aroused right now.

"I've got something for you." he replied, trying to sound as earnest as possible. Thorin seemed to sense the importance of what was coming to Dwalin, so he grabbed the second chair and sat down close to him. Taking a deep breath, Dwalin took something out of his pockets.

"Happy Durin's Day." he smiled and opened his palm for Thorin to see what was in it.

Thorin froze for a moment before he picked up the ear clasps from Dwalin's hand. They were smaller and longer than the ones Thorin had given him the day before, but the pattern on them was of similar meaning - Dwalin had been working on it for months and it was his own interpretation of a courtship pattern between the two of them. He could still only smile at the fact that they had both seen Fíli's birth as a sign to make their relationship official. Thorin had merely beaten him by a single day.

The smile on Thorin's face alone was worth all the hours spent secretly working on the clasps to Dwalin. His eyes were a deep shade of blue, one that only Dwalin and his family got to see - soft and warm as if he were just an ordinary dwarf and not the ruler of a lost kingdom.

"They're beautiful." Thorin's voice was slightly hoarse. He leaned forward, pressing his forehead against Dwalin's. "Thank you."

Dwalin smiled, his fingers caressing Thorin's cheek.

"Do you want me to put them on?" he asked him and Thorin nodded.

Dwalin lost no time with sliding them over Thorin's lobes, admiring the way they stood out shimmering against the darkness of Thorin's hair. His fingers lingered for a while longer, tracing the line of his ear and jaw gently, causing Thorin's breath to escape him in a little sigh. Thorin closed his eyes as he was leaning against him again.

"My One." The words were so quiet that Dwalin almost didn't hear them, but the utter conviction and warmth in Thorin's voice was unmistakeable.

" _Kurdel_." Dwalin whispered back, turning his head slightly so that his nose was resting against Thorin's cheek. Their fingers intertwined and they both sat there for a while longer, the noise from the celebration a pleasant buzzing in the background as they enjoyed a moment that belonged only to them. Dwalin knew that it would inscribed in his heart forever.


	5. Come back [Prompt: Supernatural]

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> We've had the Dwalin whump already, now here we go for Thorin whump! The original version, by the way, was quite a bit nastier and Thorin was being poisoned instead of just being ill (but then I couldn't really think of why someone would want to poison him during this time).

Winter came and it brought with it cold and darkness. The latter was something that dwarves were rarely bothered by - although many of them did relish the warmth of the sunshine, they were used to living underground and having their lives illuminated by the light of fireplaces, torches and lanterns most of the time, as well as the cunningly crafted mirror system by which the larger halls in the mountains had been lit. During their time in Erebor there had been dwarves who had set foot outside the mountain no more than a few times in their entire lives, perfectly happy to remain below ground in the vast halls that were their home.

The cold was something they disliked a lot more. There had always been a certain amount of warmth below ground and it never went below freezing temperature. Furthermore, the engineers in Erebor had crafted a cunning system to use the heat from the forges and fires and distribute it around the mountain, warming the steams, private quarters and official halls. There was no such luxury here in Ered Luin and Dwalin knew what kind of memories the cold was carrying with it - of winters spent freezing, dwarflings dead in the snow as they were fleeing from their burning home, of hunger and despair and the darkest years of their lives.

This winter the memories of the past seemed barely more than a dark shadow - the settlement had prospered and although none of them were abundantly wealthy, there was enough food, clothing and fuel for their fires so that no one would freeze or starve. More than once Dwalin saw the relief on Thorin's face when he was looking at Fíli and seeing that the babe was healthy and growing. The official naming ceremony would be at the end of winter, but there was little doubt that Fíli would survive until then unless some cruel mishap would steal the little dwarfling away.

The other thing that winter brought with it was sickness. Dwarves were hardy people and the common illnesses of men barely touched them. Thus, they rarely became sick although if they did, it was usually serious. Thorin had never mentioned it but he and everyone else knew that more dwarves had become ill since the fall of the mountain although nobody knew why - in a private talk between Óin, Balin and him the healer had surmised that it might be because they were no longer sheltered inside the mountain now, but prey to everything that they came in contact with daily outside in the wild, although they seemed more prone to sickness in winter than they were in summer.

Four dwarrows had already fallen ill this winter and it worried them all, although no one was willing to show it. One of them, a young sewing apprentice of Dori's named Brunin, had died, causing grief to once again visit their settlement. Dori himself had fallen ill, too, but thankfully not as badly as his apprentice and was already on the way to recovery. The other two dwarrows who hadn't been in contact with those who were sewing and neither of the rest of Dori's family had caught the illness. Therefore, Óin surmised that it was unlikely to be infectious although he still cautioned to avoid unnecessary contact until they were all healthy again.

Nonetheless, the look on Thorin's face had darkened again since the news had arrived of Brunin's death. Despite the increased instances of illness nobody had died in the past two years and they had all hoped that the years of such hardship would finally be past them now. Not even Fíli's antics could make him smile for a while and the worry in his eyes was palpable every single time he held the babe, the fear that sickness would come and carry the dwarfling away long before his time.

"He'll be fine." Dís told him quietly one evening. Víli was sitting on a rug on the floor with their babe on their lap and playing with Fíli, laughing loudly at their child's every move. Balin was sitting in one of their armchairs and reading whilst Dwalin was sharpening the kitchen knives and Thorin and his sister were smoking their pipes in their favourite chairs close to the fire.

"He's made from strong stuff, like his parents." she added and Thorin nodded although even his sister's words couldn't quite chase the worry from his eyes.

After finishing up his pipe he announced that he would be going to bed early today. Dwalin frowned and looked up at him; he had noticed how Thorin had eaten much less than usual during the dinner and seemed generally a lot paler than normal.

"You alright?" he asked quietly when Thorin brushed past him on his way upstairs to their bedroom. His One looked down at him and smiled.

"Yeah. Just tired. It was a long day."

Dwalin nodded, although there was still a sliver of worry left inside him. Even though there had been a lot to do this day Thorin usually never went to bed this early. He finished the sharpening of the knives as soon as possible and excused himself quickly to follow Thorin into bed. When he came in his partner was already sleeping, breathing deeply and regularly and not even waking up when Dwalin reached out to brush a few strands of stray hair back from his face. He went to sleep next to him, trying to tell himself that all his worry had clearly been for naught. Thorin would be fine the next morning.

When Dwalin woke up again it was still deep in the middle of the night. However, he knew that something was utterly and completely wrong even before he instinctively reached over to Thorin's side of the bed. His One's skin was clammy and he was shivering beneath his palms. Dwalin was fully awake within moments, lighting the candle on his nightstand. Thorin's skin was pale as a ghost's and there were beads of cold sweat on his forehead.

"Thorin?" he asked quietly, putting a hand on his shoulder.

"I'm so cold." The words came out slightly garbled, Thorin's teeth clattering.

"You're running a fever." Dwalin said worriedly, feeling Thorin's forehead. It was burning, although the rest of his body seemed to be ice cold. "Don't move. I'll go get Óin."

Thorin just nodded, drawing the blanket up to his chin and still unable to stop his muscles from trembling. Dwalin barely took enough time to get dressed properly, just throwing on some pants, a random shirt, his boots and the thickest fur coat he could find before grabbing a lantern and heading out. He was already in the living room when he heard steps coming down the stairs behind him and saw Dís standing there in her night clothes, hair and beard an unruly mess and a candle in her hand.

"Is something wrong?" she asked quietly. Dwalin nodded, not even trying to hide his worry.

"Thorin's ill. I'm going to get Óin."

Dís frowned and nodded.

"I'll stay with him until you return."

Dwalin threw her a grateful glance, feeling guilty for a moment. He should have known that she would wake up - not because he had been so loud whilst walking down the stairs, no, but because she always knew when something was wrong with her brother. It was like a supernatural bond that was always between them, connecting them and making them aware of each other's troubles and feelings.

"Tell Víli to keep Fíli away from him. Even if it's not infectious, it's probably best to be careful."

Dís made an agreeing sound and walked up the stairs again, towards Thorin's and Dwalin's bedroom. Dwalin hoped that, whatever it was, it wouldn't be infectious enough for the rest of them to catch it as well. There was no way on earth that he would stay away from Thorin willingly.

Thankfully, Óin and his brother's family didn't reside too far from their own house and Dwalin was thankful for the family connection between them that had caused them to cluster all in one space close to the centre of the settlement where they were easily available for everyone should they need help or advice. As soon as Dwalin described the symptoms to his cousin, Óin grabbed his medicine bag and came with him without any sign of protest; it should have soothed Dwalin's fears, but worried him even more instead since it likely meant that Óin regarded the situation as very serious.

Dís was sitting next to Thorin's bedside when they returned, a worried look on her face and cooling her brother's forehead with a damp cloth, gently smoothing the strands of hair away from his face. Thorin's eyes were closed and his breathing was flat and rapid - he looked much worse than when Dwalin had left him even though it seemed almost impossible. Surely he hadn't been gone for that long!

Dís looked up as soon as they entered, her eyes brimming with fear.

"He got worse all of a sudden. One moment we were talking and he was complaining that he was both cold and felt like he was burning up and then he closed his eyes and stopped answering." One of her hands was closed firmly around her brother's, as if she could keep him there with her touch alone.

Dís and Dwalin were leaning onto each other whilst Óin was examining Thorin. Dwalin was sure that the same was going through Dís head that was also going through his - a silent prayer of _please let Thorin be safe, please don't let it be too bad, please oh Mahal, please..._

"It's the same sickness as Brunin's and all the others'." Óin said quietly once he was finished. He sighed. "Although I've rarely seen it so violent and sudden before. Fever in itself is beneficial for helping the body purge whatever it is that is making it ill, but Thorin's is too high, we need to try and bring it down."

He continued with listing everything that they should do throughout the night and the next day and left them with some medicine they should attempt to give Thorin. It was the sad gaze from his eyes more than anything else that told Dwalin how serious the situation was and the healer promised he would return the next morning to see how Thorin was faring.

"Go back to bed." Dwalin told Dís softly. "I'll stay with him throughout the night."

Dís just shook her head in response.

"No, I don't dare. I know it's not infectious, but if Víli should catch it and then Fíli..." She sighed, covering her face with her hands for a moment until she had composed herself again. "Do you think Balin would mind me waking him up? I think it would probably be better if Víli and Fíli slept in the spare room next to his rather than here for the next few days."

Dwalin nodded, agreeing with her.

"No, I don't think he'll mind if you explain it to him." he told her. Balin's house was connected with theirs by several doors and walkways, but Dwalin's brother preferred to have his own space - furthermore, his part also contained the official classroom for the dwarflings of the settlement and his own small library and workplace. That didn't change the fact that Balin spent most of his evenings in their shared living room. Keeping Dís' partner and child separate from them and in Balin's house sounded like a good idea to him, too.

Dís nodded and disappeared towards Balin's bedroom. Dwalin sat down next to Thorin, taking the cloth off his forehead and washing it out in more snow that they had brought in from the outside earlier until it was almost icy cold. Thorin murmured something when Dwalin placed it back on his forehead, but didn't open his eyes. Spasms were still running through his body from time to time from the height of the fever and Dwalin could almost feel his One's strength sapping away as if it were being drained from the outside.

"Don't you dare die on me, Thorin." he whispered. "Don't you _dare_. Not here. Not now. Not like _this_."

It was a long night. Dwalin kept vigil at Thorin's bedside although his One's health showed no sign of improving - Dwalin tried to get the medicine Óin had left for them inside him but it was difficult since Thorin remained unresponsive. He prayed that the night would go by as fast as possible, but it seemed like he was caught in an endless cocoon of darkness, with no sign of the sun rising on the horizon and similarly no sign of Thorin's condition improving.

Dwalin had just finished dribbling a few drops of water on Thorin's lips to keep him hydrated somehow when he heard a quiet whine and felt something bump against his leg. He looked down, just to see Puppy looking up at him with worried eyes as she put a head on his knee. She had grown to almost full size now, with sharp teeth and a hunger that seemed to rival Dwalin's own, but was just as attached to her 'family' as she had ever been.

He reached out to pat Puppy's head and scratch the fur behind her ears, the physical contact oddly comforting. After a moment, Puppy whined again and turned her head towards Thorin. She patted over to the bedside and nudged Thorin's hand with her nose, whining more loudly when he didn't react, not even when she began licking his fingers. Instead, Thorin's legs twitched again as another set of spasm ran through him and a quiet moan escaped his mouth that caused Dwalin to clench his fingers and bite hit tongue to chase away the anxiety it caused him. When it had passed, he wiped the sweat of his One's skin again with gentle movements, murmuring quiet, soothing words to him.

Puppy seemed to sense that something was truly off, jumping on the bed before Dwalin could forbid her to do so and curling up next to Thorin so that her fur was touching his clammy skin and her head was resting on one of his arms. Dwalin thought of chasing her away, but only for a moment - if this illness could infect her it likely had already and he hoped that her presence might bring some comfort to Thorin.

As he had promised, Óin came by early in the morning to check on Thorin again. He clucked his tongue when he saw Puppy, but didn't say anything against her presence in the end. After examining Thorin once more he just shook his head, the desperation in his eyes clear. Dwalin knew that the healer would do anything he could for Thorin and more, but he also knew that Óin was unable to save everybody. Nonetheless, he promised to try out the new medicines the healer had proposed, if only so he could tell himself that they had truly done everything.

Dwalin heard Óin talking to Dís after he had stepped outside, but their voices were muffled by the thick wood of the door so he didn't understand what they were saying. Dís entered shortly after, a tray in her hands with some breakfast on it that she deposited on the floor. After a moment she returned with some dried meat for Puppy. Normally the wolf would have gone out to hunt for herself, but she had spent all night at Thorin's side and didn't seem willing to move.

Dís pulled up a chair to sit next to Dwalin and offered him one of the two bowls with breakfast inside.

"You need to eat something." she told him softly. "Balin made it fresh this morning and he told me he'd come in here although he isn't supposed to and talk your ears off until you eat it like he did when you were small."

Dwalin hesitated, but finally he accepted the bowl from her hands. Dís picked up the second one and began to eat whilst urging Puppy to come down from the bed to get her food. She would tolerate a lot from the wolf, especially today, but eating on the bed was not amongst it. They ate in silence, although Dwalin didn't manage to force down more than a few spoonfuls. There was no hunger inside him, especially when he looked at Thorin's shivering form on the bed. Dís took the almost full bowl from his hands and put it down on the tray beside her without comment. Then she placed her hand over his and squeezed it slightly.

"You should go and catch some sleep." she suggested. "I'll keep watch over him."

Dwalin shook his head, unwilling to part from his One's side. Should the worst happen...he didn't even want to formulate the thought in his mind, but he couldn't desert Thorin. He'd never forgive himself should he not be there during his last moments.

"I'll wake you should he get any worse." Dís' voice was gentle, laced with her own worry at the edges. "But you're no use as you are now. Not to anyone."

She pressed a gentle kiss to the side of his head and urged him to get up. Dwalin finally moved, even though he still wasn't happy to leave Thorin alone. But Dís was right - he really _did_ need sleep. Puppy bumped his leg affectionately before jumping up on the bed once more and taking up her position next to Thorin again as if she wanted to say 'don't worry, I'll watch over him.'

Against all thoughts and worries, Dwalin actually managed to find a little sleep. Even though his fear made it hard for him to fall asleep and the strange bed felt weird under his back, he eventually did so with the knowledge that Dís would never lie to him, that she would truly call him should Thorin get any worse. There were few other people who he would trust like that. His rest was uneasy and his dreams dark and hopeless. When he woke, he felt little more awake than when he had gone to bed. He was as exhausted as if he had run around the settlement instead. Yawning and drawing his comb through his hair and beard only a few times, he made his way back to Thorin and his sister.

Dís was sitting in the chair next to Thorin's bedside and reading, Puppy still resting at Thorin's side. She looked up when Dwalin entered, giving him a tired smile.

“Any change?” Dwalin asked her, although he knew the answer already. She shook her head.

“No, he’s still the same. He didn’t get any worse, but not any better either.”

Dwalin walked over to stand beside her and pressed a kiss to Thorin’s burning forehead. Even though he knew that there wouldn’t be any reaction from his One it still hurt. He put an arm around Dís’ shoulders and she leaned onto him, yawning.

“He’s getting weaker.” she finally said quietly. “He can’t even swallow the medicine anymore when I’m trying to give it to him.”

Dwalin squeezed her shoulder, not knowing what else to do. He was fairly sure he wouldn’t even be standing anymore if he weren’t leaning on Dís. She accepted his comfort for a moment before moving from her chair, crossing an arm over her breasts that seemed to be aching.

“I need to get rid of some of that milk.” she sighed, stretching out. She and Óin had agreed that the milk would probably be safe for Fíli if they boiled it beforehand. And, after all, Víli was just as adept at feeding the babe as his mother was. Dwalin sat down and she pressed a kiss onto the top of his head before walking out, leaving him alone with Thorin and Puppy who was still next to him on the bed.

The day turned out to be as long as the night had been. Dwalin could see Thorin grow weaker with each passing moment – it almost looked like he was slowly giving up on the battle that he had been fighting since the previous night.

“Don’t give up.” Dwalin whispered, enclosing one of Thorin’s hands in his and cupping Thorin’s cheek with the other, his thumb trailing over his partner’s skin. “You need to keep fighting. Don’t leave me alone. _Please_.”

Puppy, who heard his voice, lifted her head and whined, licking Thorin’s other hand again and putting her head on his chest with a huff, as if she was insisting that he stay with them. For a moment Dwalin thought that Thorin was moving in response, but it was likely no more than a trick that his eyes were playing on him. He dribbled some more water on Thorin’s chapped lips, hoping that he’d be able to take at least some of it in.

Thorin grew weaker throughout the rest of the day. Dwalin felt like he could almost see the life running out of him, drained by the mysterious illness that just didn’t seem like it wanted to pass. His breathing had grown flat and even more laboured and the pallor of his skin was no longer only pale, it was almost grey. It seemed impossible that he had been walking around normally with almost no signs of the oncoming illness on the previous day.

Dwalin could hear Óin cursing when he thought that nobody could hear him after his second visit that day. By now, he was unwilling to let go of Thorin’s hand for too long, the physical contact with his One the only thing he seemed to have left at the moment.

“He’s fading.” he whispered that evening, with Dís sitting next to him and Óin standing at the foot end of the bed. “It almost feels like he isn’t even _here_ anymore.”

“Don’t say that.” Dís’ voice was as quiet at his, but Dwalin could hear anger underneath all her desperation, an anger not directed at him but at their Maker or Fate or whoever else was responsible for her brother’s state.

They still swapped places at Thorin’s bedside although most of the time they were in his room together now, not willing to be parted from his side. Both of them were exhausted when the night came around. Óin had told them that Thorin might not survive another night if there wasn’t any significant improvement of his condition and although neither of them would talk about it, they had both quietly agreed to do everything they could and stay with him throughout the night.

Óin had given them one last remedy that he thought might help – he told them that one of his apprentices had found a few paragraphs about the medicine in an old book of healing they had managed to acquire the previous year. He hadn’t tried it before because there were no mentions of the right dosage of the plant which he knew could be deadly if taken in too large quantities. But it seemed like they truly had nothing to lose anymore.

It was hard for them to find a way of getting the medicine inside Thorin, but finally they managed to force at least a few drops down his throat. Óin told them that it would take a while until the medicine would take effect, if it did at all, but if there was a significant change they should immediately get him no matter the time of night. The only thing they had left now was to hope and pray to their Maker.

Dwalin didn’t know what time it was when Dís started nodding off next to him, her head falling slowly forwards until she was snoring gently. He could feel the tiredness seep through his own body as well and was yet unwilling to leave the room and find a bed for himself. Puppy seemed to have fallen asleep too, her eyes closed and her breathing deep and even, so unlike Thorin's. With a sigh Dwalin leaned forward, placing his head on the bed on top of his arm. With his other hand he was still firmly grasping Thorin's fingers, knowing that the connection between them would tell him if his One should get even worse. He didn't think he would truly be able to sleep, but he could at least close his eyes and doze a little, only for a few moments...

*

Thorin was dreaming.

Or maybe he wasn't - it was hard to tell, really. Somehow everything seemed much more realistic than in just a simple dream and he was a lot more self-aware than he should be. He vaguely remembered feeling strange in the evening and going to bed early. Then he had started feeling both hot and cold at once all of a sudden and was seemingly unable to stop his body from trembling. Something was wrong with him, but the thought was strangely distant and didn't really seem to matter all that much. Wherever he was right now, time wasn't important anymore - he could have been walking through the grey stone for moments only or maybe for days, even weeks. It seemed unimportant to him. The walls around him weren't changing - it was an endless labyrinth of grey and black. Despite the lack of light it wasn't dark, as if the walls themselves seemed to be glowing. Thorin followed the never ending walkways without a true goal or pattern, choosing randomly which way to take, simply based on whichever one seemed the better to him at the moment.

Sometimes he thought he could feel someone touching him gently and the sensation of warm fur at his side. At other times he thought he heard voices – Dwalin and his sister’s, mostly, and he turned in the direction that they came from, only to find his way blocked by another wall. After a while, the voices became louder, although they weren’t Dwalin’s or Dís’ any longer – but they still sounded incredibly familiar, even though it had been a long while until he had heard them last. Once again, he followed them, noticing how the walls around him seemed to be emitting more and more light with each step that he was taking. For a moment the world around him seemed to shift and almost dissolved, as if someone was moving his body and he wasn’t aware of it. He felt a sharp burning in the back of his throat, but the sensation was gone quickly. Strange.

He rounded another corner and stopped dead in his tracks. Standing in front of him was someone he knew very well. The dwarf seemed strangely translucent, although less so than the shapes behind him.

“ _Nadad_?” He almost choked on the word.

Frerin smiled and the expression was so familiar that it hurt. It seemed to light up his entire face, making something sparkle in his eyes and Thorin half expected to hear his laugh as well, the loud and hearty sound he had missed for so long.

Thorin took a few more steps in his brother's direction and the closer he came, the more the faces behind Frerin seemed to gain in clarity and shape. He could see their mother who had died when the dragon came to the mountain, his grandfather who still had a thin red line across his throat, his grandmother who passed into the Halls when he had been but a small dwarfling and so many more, family, friends, many of whom had been gone for decades. The only one he didn’t see was his father.

“Frerin, is that truly you? Am I-…?”

“What are you doing here, Thorin?” If Thorin had any doubts remaining that it was truly his brother in front of him, most of them dissolved when he was hearing his voice. It was Frerin. It _had_ to be him. Nobody else could ever sound quite like him.

“I don’t know.” he answered truthfully. “I felt ill and then…I can’t remember.”

“You shouldn’t be here. Not yet.” The voice was fainter than Frerin’s but Thorin felt his eyes well up when he heard it. Sigvór. His mother.

“ _Amad_.” He wanted to take another step forward but Frerin shook his head, and something in the gesture made Thorin stop. Somehow, he was sure all of a sudden that if he took those steps, something decisive would happen, something that he wouldn’t be able to reverse. He hesitated.

“It’s not your time yet, brother.” Frerin told him, voice quiet and somehow sad. “You need to go back. Back to our sister. To Dwalin. To all the others who are waiting there for you.”

As if on cue, a voice sounded out behind Thorin, calling his name. It took him a moment to recognise it, but when he did, his heart did a small leap in his chest. _Dwalin_. He turned around, but instead of his One he only saw a shadow that looked vaguely like him.

“They need you.” Frerin repeated. “You have to return.”

He heard his name being called again and this time it was Dís. When he turned around once more their shapes had solidified, although both Dwalin and his sister still seemed faint and translucent.

“I miss you, brother.” Thorin whispered. “There are moments when I feel so tired.”

“I know.” Frerin smiled again and Thorin could see the sadness tingeing his expression. “Now come on, go. We’ll be waiting for you. But take care that you don’t come here for a good long time yet.”

Thorin nodded and turned around again. It was hard to do so, as if there were two forces inside him, one pulling him towards his brother and the rest of his family, and one pushing him back towards where the living were waiting for him. Dís and Dwalin were saying his name again and had their hands stretched out in his direction, their eyes filled with hope that he would join them. He heard a faint growl and thought he saw the shadow of a wolf standing next to Dwalin for a moment.

He took a deep breath, reaching out towards his sister and his One. The moment their hands touched, he felt his legs giving in underneath him, a sudden weakness rushing through his body. His sight went black before he hit the ground.

*

Dwalin woke up with a start. He'd had strange dreams – a labyrinth of grey and Thorin in the midst of it, talking to a darker shade in the air as if it were his brother. He remembered calling his One’s name and reaching out, Dís appearing next to him and doing the same. It seemed to take a long time until Thorin turned to them and when he did so, Dwalin could see that whatever he was about to leave behind wasn’t easy for him to part from. But Thorin had taken their hands in the end and at that moment, the strange dream had ended.

He lifted his head and looked over to his One. Next to him he could hear Dís move and stretch, having woken up at the same moment as him. Even Puppy was awake, lifting her head and whining quietly. Dwalin saw Thorin’s eyelids flutter before his eyes suddenly opened, their clear blue still clouded with weakness and pain. He was glad that he was sitting or otherwise he might have fallen to the floor in relief. A dark, empty part of himself had never believed that Thorin would wake up again.

“Hey.” he whispered. One of his hands was still firmly clasped around Thorin’s and he could feel Thorin’s fingers squeezing his weakly.

Thorin gave him a small smile and opened his mouth to reply, but his answer was more of a croak than anything else. Dwalin hurried to fill a glass of water from the pitcher at his bedside and support Thorin's head so that he could drink. He still remembered his mother’s voice when he took the glass away again, telling him not to drink too much at once after he had been ill once as a dwarfling.

Dís had gotten up in the mean time and smiled down at her brother, pressing a kiss to his forehead as soon as he was done with drinking.

“I’m glad you are back, brother.” she told him with a suspiciously tight voice. Puppy wagged her tail and huffed in agreement. Thorin smiled again and lifted a trembling hand to scratch the wolf’s fur although his movements were still slow and weak.

“I feel like I just ran the longest race of my life and got buried under a landslide to boot.” he croaked, his voice still shaky. Dwalin gave him a little more to drink and noted to himself to get Óin first thing in the morning. For now there was no need to wake up the old healer and disturb his well-earned rest. He also suspected that Thorin would rather prefer to sleep now, exhausted as he looked, than being the subject of Óin’s scrutiny.

“You look like it, too.” Dís remarked, a trace of her old humour back in her voice. Both Dwalin and Thorin chuckled at her words.

“Thanks.” Thorin replied, even in his state managing to put some sarcasm into his voice. He tried to turn onto his side and groaned, the movement seemingly too much for his weak body yet. With a frustrated sigh, he gave up and yawned.

“I feel exhausted.” he murmured, his eyes already falling shut again. Now that most of the tension was gone and he looked like he might survive the night, Dwalin felt the same sensation rushing through his own body. Dís seemingly sensed the same, for she yawned as well.

“I’ll let you two catch same sleep and arrange for Óin to come by tomorrow.” She smiled, tiredness lacing her voice as much as relief.

“Thanks.” Dwalin nodded at her. He rounded the bed and took off his boots, crawling under his own covers. Puppy gave a protesting yelp when he gently tried to push her out of the way. Thorin was already half-asleep, his forehead still burning from the fever that clearly hadn’t passed yet. However, at least his skin didn’t feel icy and dead anymore like it had before and his breathing had grown much more regular.

Dwalin smiled and scooted as close as he dared, quickly falling asleep with Thorin so reassuringly close and alive next to him.


	6. Comfort [Prompt: Intimacy]

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Some fluff after yesterday's angst. Intimate fluff :3.

Thorin woke the morning after one of the strangest nights of his life with a headache, parched throat and roaring hunger. He still felt terribly weak and his body was aching with every movement that he made; but he no longer felt like he was simultaneously freezing and burning up inside like he had when he had woken up last night. There were still vague memories of the dream he’d had in his mind, although by now he was questioning its reality. Could he really have been this close to death?

Dwalin was snoring gently next to him and Thorin smiled when he heard the sound. It was one that spoke of home and family like no other. The effort to turn his head to be able to see his One was almost too much at first, although he didn’t regret it. For a while he simply watched Dwalin, looked at his completely relaxed face and traced the lines of it in his thoughts. He looked so peaceful that Thorin was almost disappointed when the door to their room opened, waking Dwalin up with a start. The warrior’s first instinct was to grasp for a weapon, but he abandoned the movement the moment he saw who had entered, grinning sheepishly whilst Thorin just chuckled quietly. Many nights on the road had taught them both to be wary and it was something that it was hard, if not impossible, to unlearn.

Dís and Óin just lifted an eyebrow at Dwalin’s reaction before they stepped into the room. Óin was carrying his medicine bag and Dís a tray with several bowls on it. Thorin was wary of the old healer, especially when he saw his stern and slightly disbelieving glance. Thankfully, he was rather quick with examining Thorin and seemed very satisfied with his condition when he was done. None of them could truly explain what had happened, whether it had been the new medicine Óin had brought, or something else - something that Thorin had experienced in a dream that might have been more real than he had believed. He could see in both Dwalin's and his sister's eyes that they knew of the dream, too, had the same hazy memories that were still running around in his mind, even though none of them mentioned it.

Óin ordered him to stay in bed for at least one more day to make sure that the illness had passed and the remnants of his fever would vanish. He told both Dwalin and Dís to keep an eye on him throughout the day in case there would be any kind of setback. Much to Thorin's chagrin he also prescribed him a number of medicines to take and gave him a list of foods he should eat and a much longer one of what _not_ to eat.

In the time that it took the healer to give him all the advice, Dwalin had finally managed to leave the bed and get dressed. By now his leg was almost completely healed and the only sign of his accident on the road that remained was the lack of muscle on it compared with his other one. Óin had allowed Thorin to eat at least a small amount of gruel for breakfast, something that his raving stomach welcomed. Dís had brought food for all of them that Balin had prepared – Dwalin’s brother would have come and brought it himself if the healer hadn’t told them to hold the quarantine for one more day, just to be safe.

Dwalin and Dís finished their breakfast quickly whilst Thorin was watching, getting hungrier and hungrier with each passing moment. Once they were done they helped Thorin up into a sitting position, with pillows stuffed behind his back to keep him upright. It annoyed him that he still felt so terribly weak; his hands were trembling and his head was spinning even from such a small effort.

Dís took one look at him and collected hers and Dwalin’s bowls without saying anything; it was a decades-old signal of wordless understanding between them. Thorin hated weakness in himself more than anything else and Dwalin was the only one who was allowed to see it at times. Dwalin and Dís both knew that he was unable to lift the spoon to his mouth on his own in his current condition and they both knew that Dwalin would have to help Thorin eat, something that Thorin wouldn’t want anything else to witness, not even his own sister.

Dwalin assisted him without either of them having to say a single word about it. The events of the previous nights had clearly shaken his partner; Thorin could feel it in how gentle and careful every single one of his touches were, as if he was afraid that Thorin would fall back into the clutches of the illness all of a sudden. The fact that he was finally able to eat helped Thorin over the humility of the task. He nodded his thanks to Dwalin when he was done and sank back into the pillows with a sigh. Dwalin smiled and put the bowl away.

“What now?” Thorin asked him. He _hated_ being ill and he hated doing nothing. Maybe he could get Dwalin or Dís to bring him some of the documents that needed looking through… Dwalin seemed to sense his thoughts and chuckled quietly.

“Now nothing. You should take it slow and let your body recover from its ordeal before you start anything new.”

Thorin groaned. An entire day of doing nothing and just staying in bed would surely drive him mad.

“You’re worse than a small dwarfling.” Dwalin rebuked him, but there was the hint of a grin in his face.

“You’re one to talk.” Thorin grumbled. “Remember when your leg was broken? I had to _flee the room_ to escape your griping.”

“That’s because I was totally healthy apart from that leg and those ribs.” Dwalin sounded indignant. “You, on the other hand, almost died. So don’t try and do anything stupid now. Or I’ll knock you out.”

Thorin just lifted his chin and decided not to answer. He hated it when his partner was basically right. Thankfully, Dís saved him for she came back into their room with a smile on her face just as Dwalin had been about to fire another quip in Thorin’s direction.

“I’ve talked to Óin and he agreed to let you have a hot bath.” she told him. “Under the condition that someone looks after you and you go straight back to bed afterwards. We’re heating up the water right now, it should be done in a few moments.”

Thorin felt gratitude spread throughout him at his sister’s words, although he couldn’t quite believe that Óin had truly agreed.

“I thought I was supposed to stay in bed.”

“I was…insistent.” Both Dwalin and Thorin chuckled at Dís' reply. They could well imagine the healer simply throwing his hands into the air and giving up when confronted with her stubbornness. “Now, do you want to or not? I can always tell Víli that they might get a hot bath today after all…”

“Thank you, _dearest sister_ , I will forever be in your debt.” Thorin told her with as much fake flourish as possible.

“Dolt.” Dís grinned and Thorin was sure she would have thrown a pillow in his direction hadn’t he been unable to catch it before she walked out again. Inside, however, he _was_ truly grateful.

A hot bath was a commodity they rarely used here in Ered Luin. In Erebor they’d had the hot steams to soak in after long hard hours of work, a place where everyone met at the end of the day to relax and exchange news. But here there was no such thing and they had gotten used to washing themselves quickly with cold water or bathe in the river during the summer. Although they owned a bathtub, they rarely used the iron monstrosity because it was simply too much effort to heat the water and then pour in the dozens of buckets of hot and cold water to have enough to take a bath in.

"Come on, let's get you into the bathroom." Dwalin helped him sit up properly again. It seemed to take ages until Thorin was finally standing - he had to stop every few moments because the dizziness threatened to overwhelm him. Dwalin was more patient than himself and offered him his arm and shoulder to lean on during the entire process, not saying anything when Thorin denied it. He hated feeling this way.

The way into the bathroom that was thankfully on the same floor as their bedroom took even longer. Thorin quickly accepted Dwalin's arm to lean on after he had stumbled and almost fallen if his partner hadn't reacted as quickly as he did, but he was determined to shuffle there on his own two feet, even if he had to rest and collect his strength every few steps. A relieved sigh left him when he finally settled down on the chair next to the tub to get rid of his clothes and scrub off the worst of the dirt before he got into the tub. Dwalin helped only when and where needed, the strength of the quiet bond between them making words unnecessary.

Thorin leaned heavily on Dwalin's shoulder when he finally stepped into the tub. The water seemed almost too hot at the first touch, but soon the heat began to spread through his body and helped his cramping muscles relax. He couldn't help the sounds of pure bliss escaping his mouth when he leaned back against the side of the tub, thinking that he could stay in here for the rest of the day and it would be just fine. Dwalin was standing at the side, watching him with an obvious smile in his face and picking up some of Thorin's clothes that had fallen to the floor whilst he was undressing.

"What are you waiting for?" Thorin asked him, his eyes still closed in enjoyment. He heard the rustling from Dwalin's place stop for a moment before the answer came.

"Hm?"

"Get in." Thorin opened his eyes again and sat up slightly, waiting for the dizziness to pass before he turned around to Dwalin. "All this nice warm water would be totally wasted on me alone. Also, you can help me wash my hair." he added with a cheeky grin.

Dwalin grinned back.

"If you're sure..."

"I am. Now get in before it's too cold." Thorin threw back in his direction.

Dwalin just chuckled and began undressing. Thorin watched him unabashedly, knowing that his One wouldn't mind, and revelled in the contours of his body that were slowly revealed beneath his clothing. Tattoos, muscles, scars, every single bit as familiar to Thorin as his own body. To him, there was no sight more beautiful than his One.

He moved forward and made some space behind him for Dwalin to join him inside the tub. Some of the water went over the edge when Dwalin carefully lowered himself into the hot water after getting rid of the worst of the dirt first. Thorin could feel Dwalin settle behind him and smiled when he felt his One's hand on his shoulders, gently kneading the knots out of his muscles.

"Want me to wash your hair?" Dwalin asked him and Thorin nodded. Dwalin poured some of the water over his head without warning and chuckled quietly when Thorin spluttered and gasped for air, steadying him with a quick hand to his hip. However, Thorin was relaxing again as soon as Dwalin's fingers were working the soap in his hair into a lather, massaging his scalp with gentle movements until he was sighing with enjoyment. It took long to wash out all the soap again, but Dwalin did so carefully with Thorin's help, until none of it remained. Dwalin then set to work on his own hair whilst Thorin was slowly cleaning his body, scrubbing the sweat of the fever off his skin.

It took them a while to be finished, but when they were, they both felt clean and content. The water still retained enough warmth for them to remain in the tub a little longer and Thorin sank back against Dwalin's chest with a sigh.

"Tired?" Dwalin asked him, his fingers lazily combing through Thorin's hair and over his chest.

"Mhm." Thorin confirmed, shifting slightly so that his head was in a more comfortable position slightly above Dwalin's collar bone. He could feel the tickling of Dwalin's wet beard on his shoulder. Dwalin pressed a little kiss against the side of his head and continued to trail his fingers over Thorin's skin and through his wet hair. Thorin revelled in the sensation of his touch - not sexual this time, but gentle and intimate, a simple feeling of warmth and belonging. He felt incredibly exhausted all of a sudden and the slow rising and falling of Dwalin's chest beneath his back only added to the feeling. One of his hands lazily intertwined his fingers with Dwalin's and he heard the rumble of a quiet chuckle deep inside his One.

_He was so tired..._

When Dís entered the bathroom a while later, she stopped dead in her tracks. She had come up because they had gotten worried that no sound had come from the bathroom in a while although Dwalin and her brother should long have been finished - but now she knew why.

Both dwarrows were still in the tub. Thorin's head was pillowed on Dwalin's neck and their eyes were closed. The sound of faint snoring was escaping their half-open mouths and it was more than hard for Dís not to start laughing so loudly that she would bring down the entire house. Instead, she walked downstairs again to come back up only moments later with a bucket of cold water. It said a lot about how comfortable and exhausted Dwalin and Thorin were that they didn't wake up when she was tiptoeing closer towards them until she wasn't far from their faces.

She emptied out the bucket right over their heads.

Both of them woke with a shout and she had to step back quickly to evade the water flying everywhere from their frantic splashing.

" ** _DÍS!_** " Dwalin and Thorin were both yelling at her at the same time and by now she was unable to contain her laughter as she fled from the room.

"Just wait until I'm healthy again!" Thorin shouted after her, still too weak to climb out of the tub and chase her through the house like he had done countless times before, especially when they had been dwarflings. She suspected that Dwalin was more likely to have run after her, but he had to disentangle himself from Thorin and get out of the tub first which wasn't exactly and easy task. Dís was laughing quietly to herself all the way downstairs.

"I can't believe she just-" Thorin moaned. He was shivering again. Not only the water that his sister had just emptied out over him, but also the bath water itself was cold now. If the entire situation hadn't been so ridiculous, he would have almost been ashamed. But only almost. Dwalin's chest _was_ very comfortable after all, although he would have never told him.

Dwalin grumbled something behind him that sounded suspiciously like some rather colourful cursing. Then he heaved himself out of the tub and helped Thorin out afterwards, wrapping a large towels around each of them to help them warm up. Somebody had put out fresh clothes for both of them in front of the bathroom door and after drying themselves, they put them back on. Thorin felt almost like his old self again for a moment if it weren't for the lingering dizziness and weakness in his limbs and bones.

"Back to bed with you." Dwalin told him after a critical look in his direction. "Óin'd skin me if anything happened to you after he told you explicitly to stay abed all day."

"I'm going, I'm going." Thorin began shuffling back towards their bedroom again. He suddenly felt very old and could only hope that the damned weakness would pass soon. At least he slowly started warming up again, especially when he was crawling back under the covers. He didn't want to admit it, but it almost felt good to relax completely and think of nothing for a while - and that, more than anything else, told him that there were still traces of sickness lingering inside him. On a normal day he would have been terribly bored by the prospect of not being able to do anything for the rest of it. Now he was almost looking forward to going back to sleep and give his body the rest it needed.

"Tired?" Dwalin asked him, sitting down next to him. Thorin yawned.

"Yes." he mumbled and huddled deeper into the bed covers. Dwalin smiled in reply and kissed the side of his head that was still peeking out from under the blanket.

"Then go and sleep." he told him. "I'll check in from time to time and bring some food later. I'm sure you'll be hungry."

"Mhm." Thorin was already half asleep.

"Puppy." Dwalin called out for the wolf and after a moment she padded into the room, looking up at him until he reached out to scratch her behind the ears. Her tail made quiet thumping sounds where it banged against the wood as she kept wagging it.

"Good girl." Dwalin murmured, going down on a knee to be able to pet her more thoroughly. "Look after Thorin for me, will you? You can sleep on the bed if you want. And if he's getting worse, come and get me or Dís. We won't be far."

Puppy huffed in agreement and pressed against his legs for a moment. For some reason Dwalin was sure the she had completely understood what he had just told her and he ran his hand over her fur once more. He and Dís would probably be downstairs for most of the rest of the day since Óin had forbidden them to come into contact with anybody else at the moment. He would be grateful once the quarantine was lifted and they could go back to their normal lives. Dís would be too, he knew. She hadn't held her babe in more than a day and he could tell how she missed being close to Fíli and her partner.

The wolf jumped up on the bed where she walked up to Thorin until she could lie down next to him, He murmured something and scooted a little close to the reassuring weight and warm fur, but didn't open his eyes. Soon his breathing evened out again, showing that he had fallen asleep once more. Dwalin smiled. Puppy would take care of him, that much was sure.


	7. Together [Bonus for prompt: Intimacy]

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So this happened earlier this week. Looks like I might have to change the rating of this fic collection a little...yes, this contains actual porn. Warnings for violent sex and some angst bits. This is nsfw! Enjoy ;D.

Thorin was recovering slowly, but steadily. The weakness seemed to linger in his limbs for days on end and he was often annoyed by how he was still too weak to do a full day worth’s of physical work; but his progress was apparent and Óin reassured him that soon, the last traces of the mysterious illness would have left his body completely. The others were a source of quiet, but steady support for him, never berating him when he was forced to interrupt a task because the room had begun to spin around him once again. Dís and Dwalin often distracted him in those moments if they weren’t out, telling him to hold Fíli or help them with a small task that could as well be done whilst sitting down.

“If you keep frowning like this your forehead will turn into a mountain range.” Dís told him when she was walking past him one evening. Thorin was particularly bad-tempered this day after he had ignored his body completely and was now nursing a bruised hip from where he had stumbled and fallen earlier after almost passing out.

Dwalin snorted from the other corner of the room, not even stopping when Thorin glared at him.

“She’s right.” he grinned. “You look like someone just stole your favourite pipe.”

“Maybe that’s because I feel like it.” Thorin snapped back. Fíli, who he had been rocking in his lap, started crying at his uncles’ harsh tone. Dwalin and Dís both simply stared at him until he looked away.

“Sssshhh sssshhhhh, I’m sorry little one, I’m sorry. Uncle didn’t mean to upset you…” he murmured and took the dwarfling in his arms, pressing him against his chest. His hands were rubbing small circles on Fíli’s back until the babe had calmed down again.

“Sorry.” He apologized again. “It’s just that I feel so… _useless_.”

Dís sighed and exchanged a glance with Dwalin. This argument between them was old, older than the recent bout of illness, even older than them settling here.

“Don’t.” she said quietly. “I won’t hear it. Look around you, Thorin - this house that we’re living in now, the fact that everybody else in this settlement is here, still alive and we are slowly prospering again, is because of you. _You_ led us here. _You_ were the one who worked harder than everyone else to ensure we would neither starve or freeze. The fact that Fíli is happy and alive and with us is because of you. And just because you can’t swing a hammer at the moment, doesn’t mean you are useless. What about old Mjothar who is blind? Or Siv who lost both her legs in that mining accident a few years back? Would you call them useless as well?”

“No.” Thorin’s answer came without hesitation.

“Then don’t be harder on yourself than you are on others.” Dís told him, Dwalin nodding to what she was saying. Thorin opened his mouth to contradict her words – that he was the king, that he had to set an example for everyone – but then decided not to. In his mind he knew that his sister was right – it was just difficult to actually convince his heart of the same. Instead of replying he simply hugged Fíli more closely and hummed a quiet song to the babe.

Despite Dís' reassurances, Thorin’s temper remained dark even after he was fully healed again. He couldn’t quite tell what it truly was that was bothering him so much –but he did indeed feel both angry and weighed down at once for no discernible reason and even the smallest things were often enough to set him off.

Thorin couldn't even remember what it had been this time. He just knew that he was angry, a thick, black anger that was pulsing through his veins and made it difficult to concentrate as he was pounding away at a piece of metal under his hands. Dís had tried to come and talk to him earlier but he had refused, knowing that in his current mood he would just say things he would definitely regret afterwards. Instead he had taken a piece of old iron and was now hammering away at it, hoping that his anger would dissolve as it was being poured into the metal bit by bit.

He was so intent on his task that he didn't even notice Dwalin coming in. His partner had to shout over the noise and even then Thorin only looked up the second time Dwalin said his name. Reluctantly he put down his hammer, ready to tell Dwalin to leave.

Dwalin simply looked at him for a moment and then threw him one of the wooden sticks he was carrying. Decades-old reflexes made Thorin catch it mid-air.

"Fight me." Dwalin growled.

"Here?" Thorin frowned. Although a fairly large space, the smithy seemed cramped to him and tools were lying around everywhere.

"Here." Dwalin confirmed. A mocking grin appeared on his face. "Or are you too much of a coward to do it here?"

Thorin just snarled and attacked. Their sticks crashed together and if he had been any less angry, Thorin would have worried about breaking them; as it was, Dwalin had brought along hardwood which could resist most of the pressure put on it. Later, when Thorin thought back to it he understood that Dwalin had provoked him intentionally. Now, however, there was nothing else but burning anger and the desire to fight, to smash something. Dwalin was the only one with whom he could truly let it out - his partner was too good for Thorin to be able to hurt accidentally and the bond between them meant that even if he was seeing red, Thorin would never seriously harm his One.

Their fight lacked some of the finesse many of their sparring rounds usually possessed. Thorin wasn't using much in terms of technique, just lashed out with blind strength and fury, at himself and the world in general. Dwalin mostly defended himself and didn't do much to attack, letting his partner vent everything.

They crashed against an anvil and a few tools fell to the floor, neither of them caring. There would be bruises the next day but they had both had much worse in their training fights. Dwalin noticed how the initial edge of Thorin's attack began wearing off and started to use more elaborate manoeuvres to go into the offensive himself. He would let Thorin vent his anger, but he would certainly not act defeated.

Thorin grinned, slowly finding joy in the fight now as well. His responses became less impulsive and more guided by skill than raw emotion and soon they were fighting as if they were sparring with only a slightly more forceful edge to it.

They were both sweating from the exercise - the heat of the forge fire had warmed the room already and although they were both wearing little more than simple tunics and Thorin his smithing apron, the sweat was running down their necks and chests. Thorin couldn't help but follow the trail of the beads down where they disappeared under Dwalin 's shirt, the way his muscles were moving beneath the fabric and how the lines of the tattoos on his arms changed with each of his movements.

Dwalin noticed his gaze and smiled, a smile filled equally with hunger and the same fascination for Thorin's body. Later, Thorin couldn't quite remember who had dropped their sticks first - he only knew that, at some point, he found himself pressing Dwalin against one of the stonen walls, wrists pinned over his head and kissing him hungrily.

There was little romantic about the kiss - it was filled with lust and the will to dominate, more teeth than tongue, biting each other's lips and leaving traces of blood on their mouths. Dwalin snarled and pushed against Thorin, yanking one of his hands free to start nestling on the traps and buckle that held his large leather apron closed at the side. Thorin released his other wrist and he frantically started yanking at the laces to Dwalin's pants with one of his hands. With a smirk, he cupped his lover's bulging erection with his other palm, rubbing through the fabric until Dwalin began to curse under his breath.

"Eager, are you?" Thorin grinned, licking his lips. Dwalin just growled in response and yanked the apron off over Thorin's head, causing half of his hair to fall out of the ponytail it had been in, before he pressed against him again and began to suck at the skin of his neck. They wrestled for a moment before Dwalin briefly gained the upper hand and slammed Thorin against an anvil.

Thorin snarled something incomprehensible and finally managed to undo Dwalin's laces, his hands closing around his partner's cock. Dwalin gasped when Thorin began to work him viciously and pressed him harder against the iron in his back in return. He sank his teeth into Thorin's neck and felt a growl forming deep in his own chest as he was approaching his height. His fingers slid under Thorin's shirt, travelling down his spine and leaving bruises and bloody grooves in their wake. Thorin increased the rhythm and Dwalin could no longer hold back- he groaned as he spilled over Thorin's hand and his clothes, his fingertips digging deeply into the small of Thorin's back.

Thorin used his moment of weakness to push away from the anvil and slam him back into the wall again. Dwalin pushed back and for a moment, neither of them had the upper hand before he managed to flip them around and press Thorin against the stone. His hand snaked inside Thorin's pants and untangled the last of the laces, beginning to tease his cock with soft strokes of his fingernails. He lifted one of Thorin's legs until Thorin clamped it around his hips, bending forward to bite into the lobe of his ear, breathing in a frantic rhythm.

His hot breath on Dwalin's skin made Dwalin groan and he let go of his lover's leg, slipping a finger between his buttocks instead, teasing. Thorin growled into his ear and Dwalin would have taken him then and there if it hadn't been for the lack of oil. A certain amount of pain was welcomed by both of them, but they would never truly hurt each other. So instead he tore off Thorin's tunic and slowly moved down his chest, nipping and biting at his nipples until Thorin's back was arching off the wall, his fingers digging into Dwalin's shoulders and almost ripping out some of his hair.

Dwalin moved deeper after a moment, feeling Thorin's impatience, who was pushing him downwards. He smirked, drawing out the moment until he arrived at his cock, leaving traces of red from his own bloody lip and his teeth in Thorin's skin on his way. A sound somewhere between a growl and a moan left Thorin's throat when Dwalin finally took him in his mouth, knowing exactly how to move, where to linger, where to bite in order to mix pleasure with pain and draw out the moment as long as possible.

"You fucking _bastard_." Thorin pressed out between clenched teeth. Dwalin smirked again, the movement causing Thorin to bite his lips to suppress another moan. When Thorin finally came he did so with a cry that he muffled by biting his own hand, spilling hotly into Dwalin's mouth, his knees and entire body trembling for a moment.

Dwalin swallowed and stood up again, immediately pinning Thorin against the wall once more and kissing him, much less hungry than the first time. Both of them were out of breath.

" _Fuck you_." Thorin whispered beneath the kisses, wrapping his arms around his partner and pulling him close, their bodies rubbing against each other. "You had it all planned out, didn't you?"

Dwalin grinned. "Almost."

Thorin just shook his head and kissed him again, a lot more slowly. His fingers, that had ripped bloody grooves into Dwalin's skin only moments ago, were now caressing his neck and carding themselves softly through his hair. With faint amusement he noted that most of his anger had evaporated during their fight and the following sex and he wondered whether the latter bit had truly been part of Dwalin's plan as well.

Dwalin trailed his thumb over Thorin's cheek and down his throat, until it came to rest over his collarbone where a bruise was already forming from where he had sucked so frantically before.

"Feeling better now?" he asked him and Thorin nodded.

"You alright as well?" he replied, smiling as he saw the dark smudges that his soot-stained hands had left all over Dwalin's body.

"Mhm." Dwalin hummed in agreement. "We should do this more often."

Thorin laughed quietly at that, his eyes travelling over the destruction they had wrought in the smithy.

"Maybe not in here." he suggested, grinning. After a moment, Dwalin fell in with his laughter.

"Maybe." he admitted.


	8. Summer Fest [Prompt: Crown/Crowning]

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And here we go, the last one. Nothing special in particular, just some nice happy reading, I guess. I've also tweaked Tolkien's timeline slightly for this - the dwarves didn't really settle in Ered Luin until three years after Azanulbizar but I'm going to shorten this slightly so the founding falls into TA 2800, one year after Azanulbizar, so this fic plays exactly 60 years later (Fíli was born in TA 2859).

 

It was time again for the yearly Summer Fest. A year had passed since Dwalin had found a small little wolf pup lost in the forest and taken her home. Puppy was a fully-grown wolf now, imposing in her own right and not at all reminiscent anymore of the clumsy little pup that had spread chaos in their house for the first few weeks after her arrival. Dwalin, Dís, Víli, Balin and Thorin had debated whether to bring Puppy back out into the forest once she was grown up and let her go free or keep her - a debate that found no real end until Dís announced that Puppy was already doing everything she wanted, pretty much following her own will, and why not keep it like that, really? She would often stay out for days on time, hunting around the settlement and further into the forest; but she would always come back, sometimes scraggly and full of thorny vines, and then demand of Dwalin and 'her' family that they clean her fur and pet her until she was satisfied.

Dwalin was still surprised how gentle and careful she was with little Fíli; the babe had grown since its birth and if anything, the screaming was now so loud that the entirety of Ered Luin could hear it when Fíli was hungry, grew a tooth or was otherwise dissatisfied, much to his family’s chagrin. Dwalin had seen Dís snap at her siblings and partner more often than even before during this time. He had never before thought having a little dwarfling in the house could be so demanding. Puppy, however, was always gentle with little Fíli when she was around him, carefully stepping over the babe or even alerting any of the adults when the little one was in danger. Despite having their lives changed so abruptly and, at times, not so endearing ways, Dís and Víli loved their baby dearly and the entire settlement often joined in with their doting, Thorin first and foremost of all. Dwalin would never get tired of watching Thorin's face transform when he played with his heir, laughing at each and every one of the little one's movements and admiring the tiny scruff that had begun to form besides the ears.

Fíli's official Naming had been a grand celebration and everybody's joy had been palpable. It had been hard to say who had been more excited about it - Dís and Víli or proud uncle Thorin. The only one who truly hadn't cared was the baby itself. Fíli had simply slept through most of the ceremony, completely unfazed by everything that was happening.

The Naming had been at the end of the winter, when the sun was already getting stronger and melting away the snow around the settlement, turning everything into slush and mud so that even a short trip outside resulted in completely dirt-covered clothing or fur in Puppy's case. At least Dwalin and Thorin were now able to keep her from jumping on their bed and ruining the covers that way. Dwalin's leg had completely recovered by the time of the Naming as well, now as strong as it had been before, although he sometimes complained about his bones aching when the weather was humid. Thorin never left out an opportunity to tease him about becoming an old dwarrow now and telling him that his hair would surely become grey very soon.

This year marked the 60th year since the founding of the settlement in Ered Luin and as such, this Summer Fest would be a large one to celebrate all they had achieved. Apart from the usual competitions and large feasts there would be plenty of other events, including a new song that Thorin had written for this day only. The same year had also seen Dís' 100th birthday and despite the presents they had already given her, Víli had promised their wife that they had planned something very special for her although they couldn't be convinced to spill even a single word about what would be going on.

The morning of Summer Fest was just as chaotic as the year before, maybe even more so since Fíli seemed to be in a rather grumpy mood that day. At least Puppy didn't destroy any of Thorin's clothes this time - they hadn't seen her for days, but hoped that she would return soon. Although, as Dís remarked, with her fine nose she would probably be able to smell the food from miles away and come back sooner rather than later.

Fíli was in a secure sling on Víli's back when they started to make their way towards the venue, all decked out in their best and most colourful clothes. They had dyed parts of each other's hair and beards that morning and even little Fíli's blond little locks had some dye rubbed into them at the tips. Dwalin wondered what Puppy would think if she'd suddenly have colourful fur and grinned - she would likely never let it get that far and escape their hands long before they could make an attempt to dye it.

Just as they reached the large square in the middle of the settlement, a brown-and-grey shadow shot out of one of the roads and barrelled into Dwalin's knees, almost knocking him over. Dwalin laughed as Puppy affectionately rubbed her head against his legs and repeated the gesture with Thorin, Balin, Dís and Víli. She looked well fed, but there were bits of twig and leaf stuck in her fur and some of her hair was caked with mud.

"Where have you _been_?" Dwalin wondered aloud, automatically starting to clean her fur whilst he was petting her. Puppy just huffed, her mouth parting in something that looked almost like a grin and tail wagging.

"Come on, we should get going, or we'll be late." Thorin nudged him gently, forcing him to leave off cleaning Puppy's fur for now. Dwalin just nodded and fell into step behind him, following his partner towards the centre of the square. Thorin took a silver circlet out of his pocket and set it on his head, sighing quietly as he did so. Whenever he was present in his official function as king of their folk, he would wear the circlet as the replacement for a crown. Almost as soon as it touched his hair, his face became more passive and regal - in those moments, it was king Thorin who was with them, the person almost disappearing behind the mask of royalty.

Dwalin knew that the crown was uncomfortable and suspected that it was so on purpose - he didn't even want to imagine how heavy Erebor's raven crown must have been on Thrór's head. The crowns of Durin's Line had always been more than just a symbol of status and ruling, they were supposed to demonstrate the heaviness of the task and that it should never be taken lightly. Judging from Thorin's relieved sigh whenever he took off the circlet it seemed to work almost too well. Dwalin, however, was sure that the knowledge about the heaviness of the task never truly left Thorin's mind, crown or no.

Thankfully the speech that officially opened Summer Fest had to be neither as long nor as drawn out as the one for Durin's Day. Thorin reminded them all of the significance of the Fest this year and that their settlement had been able to prevail thanks to the steadfastness of their people and their continuous effort to give their best for all of them. It was a heartfelt speech that touched the soul of many in the audience and Dwalin could feel the sense of pride that Thorin was instilling in his people for all they had achieved despite the odds being against them.

Thorin's speech seemingly inspired everyone in the settlement to give their best, not only in their daily lives but also during the competitions of Summer Fest. Dwalin had the impression that the participants in the various contests on the first two days put extra effort into their performances and it showed - the results in the physical ones were more than impressive and the creations of the various artists seemed to overshadow everything they had brought forth the previous year. As was tradition, the royal family and their partners did not participate in any of the contests, but instead enjoyed bearing witness to as many of them as they possibly could.

On the third day, Thorin sat down next to Dwalin with an exhausted huff, taking the circlet off his head the moment he had settled on the bench. He had made the rounds again to talk to his people and hear of all the news they had to share - Dwalin knew it was important for him to be aware of everything that was going on in the settlement, from practical issues to his people’s private fears and worries. Dwalin vaguely remembered that Thrór and then Thráin had once been similar, always up to date with everything that was happening in their kingdom and amongst their people.

"How is everyone doing?" Dwalin asked his One. Thorin just sighed and took a large sip of his ale first before he answered.

"Mostly fine, just the usual complaints. You know, not enough gold or silver for the artisans and smiths, not enough space for the ponies unless we take down some more trees, recent increases in price for fine silk from the east, Uncle Mjothar snores so loudly he is keeping the entire house awake..."

Dwalin snorted and chuckled as he lifted his own tankard of ale to his mouth. Puppy, who was sleeping next to him, moved slightly when she heard Thorin's voice but as soon as she discovered that he didn't have anything edible on him she closed her eyes and dozed off again.

“I would be more worried if nobody was complaining.” Dwalin grinned.

“Yeah.” Thorin agreed with him. “Although I’d be grateful if it were only about issues that I could, you know, solve. The next time someone tells me they don’t like the colour of the stone their house is made from I might scream.”

“I would like to hear that.” Dwalin chuckled and Thorin cuffed him gently in the side before he dug into the food in front of him. He was evidently hungry – in all the time that he had walked around and spoken to people he’d barely had the time to get down some foot or drink himself.

Despite having their first baby on the way, Bombur and his partner had once again been the head of the preparations for the feast this day. Thorin had praised them already for the great job they had done and Bombur had reacted as bashful as ever. No matter how many times Thorin talked to him, he still turned read whenever there was any praise heaped upon him. He took great pride in his craft of preparing food in the best way possible and everyone agreed that there were few dwarrows as humble as him.

Thorin seemingly enjoyed the food he was eating and it was good to see him do so. Gratitude for what they had was something that all refugees from Erebor had learned and Dwalin was reminded once again of the times where they would forego their meals so that the younger ones amongst their people had enough to eat. Back then, Thorin had sworn that he would never see his siblings or any other dwarflings go hungry if it was in his power to do anything against it. Dwalin thought that he had kept that promise, even if Thorin himself thought differently about it. It was one of the few points they avoided arguing about since Dwalin knew it would be fruitless. No matter how many times he would tell Thorin that the death of the young ones wasn’t his fault, he’d never believe him.

Now, however, those memories were part of the past and Dwalin hoped they would remain that way. The settlement was flourishing and most of the traders had made profit in recent years. With a little luck, they might never again have to see their people and loved ones suffer so badly.

Balin, Dís and Víli joined them after a while and Dís set Fíli down inside the low cradle they had brought along to give him some shade. Fíli had recently started to learn how to turn over and crawl and Dwalin was sure that soon, there was nowhere that would be safe of the babe anymore. They would have to start putting away all the sharp and dangerous objects in the household so that there were no accidents, preferably to somewhere the dwarfling would be unable to reach. For the moment, Fíli was happily chewing on the little stuffed raven that Víli had made as a present for him and looked as content as any babe could be.

The level of noise amongst the people of the settlement increased the further the day went on. After the official and traditional dances a feast followed and soon after the singing started and instruments were taken out of their cases again, joining together in making more music. It didn’t take long for the first dwarves to begin dancing to the tunes – there were a few amongst them who were barely able to sit still whenever a merry tune was played. Dwalin knew from experience that the dancing would get much wilder as the evening approached and the songs increasingly bawdy. He wondered what kind of tune Bofur would have come up with this year – the miner usually invented at least one new song of increasingly embarrassing content each year. It was sure to make a nice contrast to the new song Thorin had sung the previous night.

This year, however, something seemed to be different. When late afternoon approached and the first round of singing, dancing and feasting was over, some dwarrows began to clear away the tables in front of the royal family’s ones, making room for something else. Dwalin frowned – in all the years of Summer Fest so far this had never happened. He looked over to Thorin, but his partner only shrugged and frowned. He didn’t know either. Dwalin turned around to ask his brother, but noticed that Balin was missing. As was Víli. Dís looked slightly helpless as well, not knowing what was happening or where her partner and Balin had gone. At least Fíli was still there, sleeping in his crib.

It didn’t take long for the secret to get revealed, however. After some more modifications of the meadow in front of them, Víli stepped forward from a group of dwarves that was standing in the centre of the cleared spot. Dwalin could see Balin amongst them and wondered once more what was going on. Murmurs were running through the crowd until Víli lifted their hand to signal silence. When the talk between the dwarrows had died down, they finally raised their voice and spoke.

“Everyone, thanks for being so accommodating to this sudden break in our usual proceedings. I promise we won’t bother you for long and you can go back to getting horribly drunk and embarrassing your entire family three generations back in a moment. First, however, I’d like to present you with a little piece that we came up with under the guidance of Balin, son of Fundin, to honour my beloved wife and all those who have made it possible that we are still living here after sixty years.”

Dwalin had rarely seen such astonishment on both Dís’ and Thorin’s faces. They could not have looked more surprised if the Maker himself had come and appeared in front of them. He looked over to Balin and saw a sly smile playing around his lips. Dwalin just shook his head; he never would have thought that Balin, of all dwarrows, would be able to deceive everyone around him so well. He should have known what this sly brother of his was capable of.

After a few moments it became clear just what Víli had meant when he had spoken of ‘a little piece’. It was a theatre play. Dwalin instantly felt thrown back to his childhood in the mountain – they’d had famous performers there, dwarrows whose craft it had been to act and create the illusion of a different time and place with their presence and talent alone. They’d had their own dedicated stage for acting not far from the markets. There was no entry fee that had to be paid to see any of their shows and Dwalin had spent more than one afternoon there with the other dwarflings marvelling at what was happening on the large stonen stage and imitating the singers and actors once they returned home.

Dwalin wondered how Víli had known about the theatre in Erebor since they were not of Durin's Folk - they must have heard tales, maybe even from Dís herself. He suspected that many ideas had also come from Balin once his brother had caught wind of what was happening. Of course, the dwarrows here weren't nearly as good as those they'd had in Erebor, but their heart and spirit were obviously in what they were doing and it made their efforts all the more beautiful.

The speech they used was a mixture between singing and talking and Dwalin could tell that much thought had gone into the dialogues. He suspected that Balin had helped greatly with writing them and he liked the approach they had taken - instead of casting Thorin, Dís and other important, still living dwarrows, they chose to present the events of the past from the viewpoint of the common people through whose eyes the tale was told. That way, there was no necessity to show the devastating impact of Smaug's coming and Azanulbizar on the royal family, bringing back bad memories; instead the heroes of the play had their own stories to tell.

Most of the story concentrated on their time in Ered Luin and how the settlement had grown, not only with the people from Durin's Folk who had settled here but also those from other dwarven tribes that had joined them for a new beginning or because their abilities were needed. The highlight of the play was a love story between two of the dwarrows that was clearly meant to mirror Dís and Víli and was almost overflowing with pathos.

Dwalin saw Dís gripping her brother's hand under the table halfway through the piece whenever the royal family was mentioned and her eyes were suspiciously wet by the end of it. Thorin wasn't much better - the last scene contained a song that was meant to convey thanks to their king and leader for giving his best during the hard times they had been facing. He was barely able to lift his head and look everybody in the eyes at the end of it. Dwalin knew what was running through his head - that it wasn't the truth, that he wasn't worthy of any of it. He put a hand on Thorin's arm and gave it a quick squeeze. Thorin turned his head and gave him a quick smile before his eyes went back to the actors again.

The applause at the end of the play was deafening. Dwarrows were shouting and stomping their feet on the ground in obvious appraisal and the actors in the middle looked almost flustered, as if they hadn’t expected to receive this much praise. Thorin, Dwalin and Dís were standing up as they were applauding too, Dís quickly wiping her eyes on the sleeve of her tunic.

“Thank you.” Thorin’s voice was suspiciously rough when he spoke. “My sister and I feel more than honoured by your presentation. Everyone who calls themselves a dwarrow and member of this settlement can be proud to have you amongst our midst.”

Dwalin smiled at the pathos in his speech. Where a few words would have been enough for many, sometimes Thorin preferred the longer-winded route, especially when he thought that the recipients of his words truly deserved it. After another round of applause the dwarves slowly dispersed again, bringing back the tables into the cleared spot and continuing the festivities. The actors were congratulated from many sites and received heaps of praise, both from those dwarrows who still remembered the performances in Erebor and those whose first time it had been seeing one.

Víli and Balin finally made their way back to the table where Dwalin, Dís and Thorin were waiting for them. Dís stood up the moment her partner approached and pulled them close in a tight hug. She pressed a quick kiss to their cheek, smiling happily.

“Thank you, thank you, thank you.” she whispered into their hair, holding on tightly. Víli’s answering wide grin was almost hidden in Dís’ clothes.

“Everything for my love.” they replied when they finally had room to breathe again.

“You’re impossible.” Dís smiled back after she had loosened her grip on her One slightly. “How in Durin’s name did you come up with the idea and manage to do it without us noticing?”

“It’s all Balin’s fault.” Víli grinned and thumped Dwalin’s brother on the back. Balin looked slightly uncomfortable when everybody turned to look at him. “I had the idea of doing something special for your birthday and the settling anniversary, but Balin here was the one who took it to a whole new level.”

“You surprise me, brother.” Dwalin grinned in Balin’s direction. Balin just cocked his eyebrows.

“Truly? It seems like you’ve forgotten all the elaborate scheming we used to do when we were younger.”

“Apparently we have.” Thorin chuckled as he stepped forward to embrace Balin and bring their foreheads together. “Thank you my friend.”

“You didn’t believe half of what we said, didn’t you.” Balin said fondly as he returned the gesture. He knew Thorin almost as well as Dwalin did and especially this part of him was one he was almost achingly familiar with, having seen Thorin at those moments where he had been brought lowest.

Thorin didn’t reply to his words, but smiled instead. Víli received another hug from him only moments after Balin had and it was clear that Thorin was still visibly moved.

"Where's Fíli?" Dís' voice ripped them out of their embrace within moments.

"Hu?" Víli frowned and looked around. "Shouldn't he be in his crib?"

"The crib is empty." Dís was standing next to it, worry and annoyance written all over her face. "He must have fallen or crawled out somehow."

Immediately, the mood between them changed. They were all exchanging worried glances as they went to look under the closest benches and tables. However, they couldn’t find anything. They hadn't really left Fíli out of sight for too long - throughout the play, they had kept throwing glances backwards to see if the little babe was still in his crib and whether everything was fine.

"My crown is gone, too." Thorin remarked suddenly. Dwalin was on the verge of telling him that Fíli was a lot more important than his crown and he could see Dís thinking the same, but the thoughtful expression on Thorin's face stopped him just in time. "Looks like it might have fallen down during the play and Fíli was probably so fascinated by it that he somehow made his way out of his crib to snatch it."

"Puppy is missing as well." Dwalin noticed. "I wonder if she went looking for Fíli, too?"

Thorin frowned, but didn't dispute his words. He had learnt to give the wolf much more credit than in the beginning and at the latest since she had saved Dwalin's life he wasn't doubting her abilities anymore.

"Well, wherever they are, we need to find them." Dís sighed, the worry in her face still apparent. The others nodded and Balin quietly suggested splitting up so that they could search in every direction.

Every single moment that passed seemed to strain their nerves even further. It was hard for them to search as speedily as possible, just in case something had happened, but also be as thorough as they could be so that they wouldn't overlook them. Soon, other dwarrows joined them when they heard of their plight although they tried not to call too much attention to it. It wouldn't do to have the entire crowd in a sudden frenzy.

"I found them!" Balin's voice was coming from his side of the meadow next to a few houses, sounding so relieved that everybody around them was turning their heads in his direction. Dís and Víli were the first ones to arrive, with Dwalin and Thorin only a breath's space behind them. They all stopped dead in their tracks when they saw what Balin was pointing at, not all that far away from where they had been sitting.

Fíli seemed to have been playing with the crown, just as Thorin had thought. And obviously Puppy had kept watch over him, just as Dwalin had surmised - Fíli had probably crawled away from them whilst they were engrossed in the last act of the play and Puppy had followed him until the dwarfling had grown too tired. Now Fíli was curled up on her fur in a dark corner between two houses and fast asleep, his tiny fingers securely wrapped around the silver circlet that was Thorin's crown. Puppy had positioned herself so that the little dwarfling was safe from everything that the outside world could throw at him and her head rested on his chest so that he wouldn't roll away in his sleep. She opened her eyes wearily when she became aware of the little commotion around her and regarded them all with a questioning glance as if she wanted to say 'what's wrong? why do you all look so worried?'.

Dís grinned widely when she reached down to pat the wolf's head.

"Thank you." she told Puppy earnestly and the wolf wagged her tail slightly in response. Dís carefully reached down to retrieve her child, but the moment she lifted Fíli off Puppy's warm and soft fur he opened his eyes and began to cry.

"Ssssshhhhh my darling, it's fine." Dís tried to simultaneously soothe him and wrestle Thorin's crown out of his fingers, but Fíli refused and his cries soon turned into loud wailing. Puppy was on her legs now and looked up worriedly at the little dwarfling.

His cries became louder and louder and it seemed like there was nothing that could console Fíli, neither his parents, nor uncles, nor anything else. In her desperation, Dís knelt down next to Puppy once they were back at their table and the moment the little dwarf's fingers found the wolf's fur, he quieted down again. Dís sighed as she exchanged a glance with her partner. Instead of putting Fíli back into his crib, Dís put down a cloth on the ground and gently placed her babe on it next to Puppy. They both seemed content again, Puppy protectively curling her tail around Fíli's other side as he went back to sleep.

"Incredible." Dwalin murmured, staring down at the unlikely duo. The others just sighed and shook their heads in astonishment.

"Ew." Thorin's quiet comment ripped them all out of their thoughts. Dwalin could barely suppress a laugh when he saw his One's disgusted face as he was wiping the silver circlet and his own hands on a cloth. Evidently, Fíli had tried to chew on the crown before he had fallen asleep.

It was Dís who broke out into full laughter first. The others joined her after a moment, even Thorin, although he seemed reluctant to pick up the circlet again, not to mention putting it back on his head. The laughter rang out over the crowd and got lost amongst the general merriment off the Summer Fest. Dwalin looked up into the cloudless sky and wondered whether their Maker or their ancestors were watching them and suddenly he felt his heart grow light, especially when he looked at Thorin's face. He hoped that their lives would stay as fundamentally happy as this for many years to come.


End file.
